Assessing Artificiality: A Probe into the Basis for Indian Nationhood

Shyamal Kataria

doi:10.29333/ejecs/365

Authors

Shyamal Kataria University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4281-2889

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/365

Keywords:

Artificial, Artificiality, Indian, Nation, Nationhood

Abstract

While students of nationalism, ardent primordialists aside, will be fully aware that all nations are, at their core, artificial constructs, there is nonetheless an implicit acceptance that some nations are more artificial than others. To suggest that certain nations are more artificial than others is not, on its own, an absurd claim, providing, of course, that appropriate criteria are used to measure this “artificiality” against. One country that has had to bear such charges is India, namely because, it is said, its people are far too diverse to be realistically considered members of a singular nation and because it lacks sufficient antiquity as a nation. This article will seek to respond to such charges by providing a glimpse into India’s past and ancient belief systems that many laypeople remain ignorant of, the knowledge of which will significantly help to challenge the claim that India is nothing but an artificial construct.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Shyamal Kataria, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE

Shyamal Kataria is the Chairman of the Department of International Relations at the University of Sharjah. He has published widely on matters of religious identity, ethno-national movements and insurgencies, with an area specialism in the South Asia region.

References

Abbay, A. (2010). Nationalism in historic Ethiopia. Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 16(3/4), 269–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537113.2010.526837 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13537113.2010.526837

Ahmad, I. (Ed.) (1973). Caste and social stratification among the Muslims. Manohar Book Service.

Al-Mas'udi, A-A-H. (1841). Meadows of gold and mines of gems (A. Sprenger, Trans.). John Murray.

Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Verso.

Arnold, J. (1859). Ishmael, or, a natural history of Islamism and its relation to Christianity. Rivingtons.

Babur, Z. (1922). The Babur-nama in English Vol II. (A. Beveridge, Trans.). Luzac & Co..

Ballard, R. (1999). Panth, kismet, dharm te qaum: Continuity and change in four dimensions of Punjabi religion. In P. Singh & S. Thandi (Eds.), Punjabi identity in a global context (pp. 1–25). Oxford University Press.

Barthwal, P. (2018). Vande Mataram: Literary excursion, nationalist consciousness and political implications. In S. Singh (Ed.), Politics for a new India: A nationalistic perspective (pp. 112–140). Rupa Publications.

Bayly, C. (1994). Returning the British to South Asian history: The limits of colonial hegemony. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 17(2), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00856409408723203 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00856409408723203

Behl, N. (2011). Understanding difference blindness: minimization of Casteism in the Sikh community [Conference presentation]. American Political Association Annual Meeting. September 2011, Seattle, Washington. https://ssrn.com/abstract=1902291

Brass, P. (1979). Elite groups, symbol manipulation and ethnic identity among the Muslims of South Asia. In D. Taylor & M. Yapp (Eds.), Political identity in South Asia

(pp. 35–77). Curzon Press.

Brass, P. (1991). Ethnicity and nationalism: Theory and comparison. SAGE Publications.

Çeku, E. (2017). The policy of Serbian expansionism, with specific reference to Albanians in the decade preceding the Balkan Wars. The International History Review, 41(1), 23–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/07075332.2017.1402802 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07075332.2017.1402802

Chagla, M. (1973). Roses in December: An autobiography. Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan.

Connor, W. (1978). A nation is a nation, is a state, is an ethnic group is a…. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 1(4), 377–400. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.1978.9993240

Connor, W. (1990). When is a nation? Ethnic and Racial Studies, 13(1), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.1990.9993663 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.1990.9993663

Dandamaev, M. (1989). A political history of the Achaemenid Empire. Brill. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004667631

Darwin, J. (2011). The empire project: The rise and fall of the British world-system, 1830-1970. Cambridge University Press.

Desai, A. (2023). Social background of Indian nationalism (6th ed.). Popular Prakashan.

Dutta, P. (2023). Narrating the Northeast: contextualising media-led marginality. In K. Kikhi & D. Gautam (Eds.), Marginality in India: Perspectives on marginalisation from the Northeast (pp. 225–236). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003279679-20

Eaton, R. (1993). The rise of Islam and the Bengal frontier: 1204-1760. University of California Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520917774

Gautam, O. (1985). The Indian National Congress and nation building. The Indian Journal of Political Science, 46(4), 487–505.

Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures: Selected essays. Basic Books.

Gellner, E. (1964). Thought and change. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Gellner, E. (1983). Nations and nationalism. Cornell University Press.

Godse, N. (2003). Why I assassinated Mahatma Gandhi? (G. Godse, Ed.). Surya Bharti Parkashan.

Golwalkar, M. (1966). Bunch of thoughts. Vikrama Prakashan.

Gottlob, M. (2007). India's unity in diversity as a question of historical perspective. Economic and Political Weekly, 42(9), 779–789. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4419309

Government of India. (1984). White Paper on the Punjab agitation, 10 July 1984. Government of India. https://archive.org/details/bk-008698/mode/2up

Grosby, S. (1994). Debate: The verdict of history: The inexpungeable tie of primordiality: A response to Eller and Coughlan. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 17(1), 164–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.1994.9993817 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.1994.9993817

Grosby, S. (2005). Nationalism: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780192840981.001.0001

Halbwachs, M. (1992). On collective memory (L. Coser, Ed. and Trans.). University of Chicago Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226774497.001.0001

Halliday, J. (2024, December 1). Gregg Wallace says complaints came from 'middle-class women of a certain age.’ The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/01/gregg-wallace-says-complaints-came-from-middle-class-women-of-a-certain-age-masterchef

Hobsbawm, E. (1983). Introduction: Inventing tradition. In E. Hobsbawm & T. Ranger (Eds.), The invention of tradition (pp. 1–14). Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107295636.001

Hobsbawm, E. (1992). Nations and nationalism since 1780: Programme, myth, reality (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CCOL0521439612

Jangra, A. (2024). Hindi newspapers perspectives on the Israel-Hamas war. Contemporary Review of the Middle East, 11(4), 441–465. https://doi.org/10.1177/23477989241293513 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/23477989241293513

Kanvinde, P. & Tom, B. (2018). Hinduism and Tourism. In R. Butler & W. Suntikul (Eds.), Tourism and religion: Issues and implications (pp. 83–98). Channel View Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.22730656.14

Kapur, R. (1986). Sikh separatism: The politics of faith. Allen & Unwin.

Kataria, S. (2021). Evolution of the Sikh Partition narrative since 1947. Sikh Formations, 17(3), 334–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/17448727.2021.1939509 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17448727.2021.1939509

Kaviraj, S. (2010). The imaginary institution of India: Politics and ideas. Columbia University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7312/kavi15222

Kiernan, V. (1993). The British Isles: Celt and Saxon. In M. Teich & R. Porter (Eds.), The national question in Europe in Historical Context (pp. 1–34). Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511622298.002

Kohli, A. (1998). Can democracies accommodate ethnic nationalism? The rise and decline of self-determination movements in India. In A. Basu & A. Kohli (Eds.), Community conflicts and the State in India (pp. 7–32). Oxford University Press.

Kristeva, J. (2025). Nations without nationalism (L. Roudiez, Trans.). Columbia University Press.

Leidig, E. (2020). Hindutva as a variant of right-wing extremism. Patterns of Prejudice, 54(3), 215–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/0031322X.2020.1759861 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0031322X.2020.1759861

Lowenthal, D. (1997). History and memory. Public Historian, 19(2), 30–39. https://doi.org/10.2307/3379138 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3379138

Luthra, S. & Mukhija, N. (2018). The nationalism debate, concerns, and constitutional response. National Law School of India Review, 30(1), 1–10. https://repository.nls.ac.in/nlsir/vol30/iss1/1

Mendick, R. (2016, February 27). Tony Blair accused of conspiracy over mass immigration. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair/12175813/Tony-Blair-accused-of-conspiracy-over-mass-immigration.html

Miller, D. (1993). In defence of nationality. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 10(1), 3–16. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24353704 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5930.1993.tb00058.x

Mylonas, H. & Tudor, M. (2023). Varieties of nationalism: Communities, narratives, identities. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108973298

Nandy, A. (1998). The politics of secularism and the recovery of religious tolerance. In R. Bhargava (Ed.), Secularism and its critics (pp. 321–344). Oxford University Press.

Oommen, T. (1994). Religious nationalism and democratic polity: The Indian case. Sociology of Religion, 55(4), 455–472. https://doi.org/10.2307/3711982 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3711982

Padmavathi, S. & Prasath, D. (2019): Supreme Court Judgement on Ayodhya Issue: Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid Land Title Dispute, Part 1. Notion Press.

Pandey, G. (1999). Can a Muslim be an Indian? Comparative Studies in Society and History, 41(4), 608–629. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0010417599003072 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0010417599003072

Parekh, B. (1989). Gandhi’s political philosophy: A critical examination. Palgrave MacMillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-09248-2

Philips, C & Wainwright, M. (1970). The partition of India, policies and perspectives, 1935-1947. Allen & Unwin.

Phromsuthirak, M. (1981). Hindu Brahma in Thai literature. Journal of the Siam Society, 69(1/2), 43–57. https://thesiamsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/1981/03/JSS_069_0f_ManeepinPromsuthirak_HinduBrahmaInThaiLiterature.pdf

Pirzada, S. (1986). The collected works of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah Vol.III, 1926-1931. East & West Publishing Company.

Purandare, V. (2013). Bal Thackeray and the rise of the Shiv Sena. Roli Books.

Rudra, K. (2005). Rise and fall of Punjab terrorism (1978–1993). The Bright Law House.

Savarkar, V. (1923). Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? Veer Savakar Prakashan.

Saxena, C. (2015). The partition of India: Contestation, appeasement and culmination. Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 76, 806–821. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44156649

Scouler, J. (1862). On the early population of Scotland. Transactions of the Glasgow Archaeological Society, 1(2), 124–134. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43913795

Seeley, J. (1883). The expansion of England: Two courses of lectures. MacMillan and Co.

Sen, B. (1952). Nationalism and the Asian awakening. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 282(1), 108–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/000271625228200120 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/000271625228200120

Seton-Watson, H. (1960). Neither war, nor peace. Methuen.

Sharma, A., Gupta, S., Parveen, S., Kumar, A., & Sharma, D. (2023). Understanding the significance of temples in representing the Pahadi Culture of Western Himalayas in Kathua District of Jammu & Kashmir. Journal of the Indian Anthropological Society, 58(3), 319–343.

Shourie, A. (1984). Mrs. Gandhi’s second reign. Vikas Publishing House.

Siddiqi, A. (2008). Partition and the making of the Mohajir mindset. Oxford University Press).

Singh, S. (1973). Japji: Quintessence of Sikh thought and philosophy. Orient Longman.

Singh, S. (1982). Khalistan: An academic analysis. Amar Prakashan.

Smith, A. (1997). Nationalism and modernism: A critical survey of recent theories of nations and nationalism. Routledge.

Smith, A. (1999). Myths and memories of the nation. Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198295341.001.0001

Strachey, J. (1888). India: Its administration and progress. Kegan Paul.

Tejani, S. (2019). Cow protection, Hindu identity and the politics of hurt in India, c.1890–2019. Emotions: History, Culture, Society, 3(1), 136–157. https://doi.org/10.1163/2208522X-02010042 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/2208522X-02010042

The Tribune. (1947, January 9). A grave betrayal of Punjab Hindus: Lahore Hindu Sabha President condemns AICC decision.

Van den Berghe, P. (1978). Race and ethnicity: A sociobiological perspective. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 1(4), 401–411. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.1978.9993241 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.1978.9993241

Van den Berghe, P. (1988). Ethnicity and the sociobiology debate. In J. Rex & D. Mason (Eds.), Theories of ethnic and race relations (pp. 246–263). Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511557828.013

Van den Berghe, P. (1995). Does race matter? Nations and Nationalism, 1(3), 357–368. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1354-5078.1995.00357.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1354-5078.1995.00357.x

Weinberger-Thomas, C. (1999). Ashes of immortality: Widow-burning in India. University of Chicago Press.