Publication

This paper looks at the politicization of the Dalits (i.e., the “untouchables”) in Northern India. More specifically, it focuses on how the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is a Hindu nationalist NGO and an "ideological patron" of India’s current ruling party (the BJP), has both redefined and appropriated, for its own political purposes, the memories and identities of Dalit communities. In unpacking this process, the paper’s author illustrates how the RSS has formed and crystallized these memories and identities by 1) cultural intervention, communalization, and weekly meetings in Dalit-dominated villages; 2) attracting leaders from Dalit community into politics; 3) appropriating cultural symbols and folk icons popular in Dalit traditions; 4) homogenizing Dalit identity by altering local histories and myths; and 4) promoting aggressive hatred against Muslims.