The Unholy Trinity: Hindutva, Capitalism and Imperialism Hardcover
by Bhabani Shankar Nayak (Author)
Print length 288 pages, Language English, Publisher Palgrave Macmillan, Publication date: 14 May 2025, ISBN-10 3031853814
In The Unholy Trinity, Bhabani critically analyzes Hindutva, Capitalism, and imperialism and how they affect the everyday lives of working people worldwide. Hindutva politics and corporate capitalism make a strange cocktail that produces imperialist hegemony and provides an alternative narrative that suits their ideology.
In contrast to Hinduism, which is a spiritual tradition rooted in compassion, tolerance, and nonviolence, Hindutva has been criticized for its political manipulation of these ideas to create divisions and for promoting an agenda that can marginalize non-Hindu communities.
Hindutva, as understood today, is an ideology where ‘Hinduism’ is not determined by religious affiliation but by nationality, culture, and race. The ideology is associated with the Hindu right, represented by the political party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which translates to Indian People’s Party. It has gained popularity since the rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who won his first election in 2014 and has an ethno-nationalistic belief that ethnicity is a core component and principle of India.
In modern times, Hindutva and Hinduism have grown in increasingly polarized directions with key differences regarding beliefs as to what defines India and how individuals experience India’s past.
The relationship between Hindutva, capitalism, and imperialism is complex and multifaceted. Some scholars argue that Hindutva ideology can legitimize capitalist expansion and imperialist agendas, while others focus on the specific historical and socio-economic contexts of the Indian subcontinent.
Bhabani Shankar Nayak argues that Hindutva ideology can be used to justify capitalist policies and practices, particularly in the context of economic liberalization and globalization. They suggest that Hindutva’s emphasis on a particular cultural identity and nation-state can mobilize support for policies that benefit certain economic interests, potentially at the expense of marginalized communities.
The concept of Hindutva is also linked to historical and contemporary forms of imperialism, particularly in the context of the Indian subcontinent’s colonial past and its ongoing relationship with global power structures. Some scholars argue that Hindutva can be seen as a form of counter-hegemonic discourse that emerges in response to imperialist domination, while others suggest that it can also legitimize new forms of imperialism, such as economic and cultural dominance.