Synopses & Reviews
An analysis of the use of media by political and religious interest groups in India
Review
"Rajagopal changes our way of thinking about the world, not only in India, but everywhere: his book is indispensable for anyone who wants to understand how globalism and localism intersect." Robert N. Bellah, Professor of Sociology Emeritus at the University at California, Berkeley"This beautifully written book will surely become a classic in media and globalisation studies and in the cultural sociology of contemporary India." Arjun Appadurai, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago"Politics After Television, with brilliant theoretical acuity and empirical richness,analyses how television redefines and forms part of a new circuit of politics and public culture in India. This is a superb and stimulating contribution to the study of contemporary politics in India" Gyan Prakash, Professor of History at Princeton University"This book is one of the most significant of recent contributions to the literature on the history and political economy of the Hindu Right in India between the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period that saw the exponential growth of the Sangh Parivar's mass base and ideology...Rajagopal's book has provided a framework for understanding the political practice of the Sangh Parivar as it is likely ro evolve." Frontline: India's National Magazine, Volume 18, http://www.frontlineonline.com"the book is an important contribution to the literature and will be of interest to India and media specialists." CHOICE Nov 2001
Review
'Winner of the 2003 Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy Book Prize\"This beautifully written book will surely become a classic in media and globalisation studies and in the cultural sociology of contemporary India.\" Arjun Appadurai, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago\"Politics After Television, with brilliant theoretical acuity and empirical richness,analyses how television redefines and forms part of a new circuit of politics and public culture in India. This is a superb and stimulating contribution to the study of contemporary politics in India\" Gyan Prakash, Professor of History at Princeton University\"Politics After Television, with brilliant theoretical acuity and empirical richness,analyses how television redefines and forms part of a new circuit of politics and public culture in India. This is a superb and stimulating contribution to the study of contemporary politics in India\" Gyan Prakash, Professor of History at Princeton University\"the book is an important contribution to the literature and will be of interest to India and media specialists.\" CHOICE Nov 2001\"the book is an important contribution to the literature and will be of interest to India and media specialists.\" CHOICE Nov 2001'
Synopsis
The broadcast on Indian national television in January 1987 of the Hindu epic The Ramayana sparked the largest political campaign in post-independence times, led by Hindu nationalists. Arvind Rajagopal's book analyses this extraordinary series of events. This book will interest scholars of politics, sociology, religion, media, and South Asian studies.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 372-389) and index.
Table of Contents
Introduction; 1. Hindu nationalism and the cultural forms of Indian politics; 2. Prime time religion; 3. The communicating thing and its public; 4. A 'Split Public' in the making and unmaking of the Ram Janmabhumi movement; 5. Organization, performance and symbol; 6. Hindutva goes global; Conclusion.