Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India

by Ashutosh Varshney

What kinds of civic ties between different ethnic communities can contain, or even prevent, ethnic violence? This book draws on new research on Hindu-Muslim conflict in India to address this important question. Ashutosh Varshney examines three pairs of Indian cities—one city in each pair with a history of communal violence, the other with a history of relative communal harmony—to discern why violence between Hindus and Muslims occurs in some situations but not others. His findings will be of strong interest to scholars, politicians, and policymakers of South Asia, but the implications of his study have theoretical and practical relevance for a broad range of multiethnic societies in other areas of the world as well.

The book focuses on the networks of civic engagement that bring Hindu and Muslim urban communities together. Strong associational forms of civic engagement, such as integrated business organizations, trade unions, political parties, and professional associations, are able to control outbreaks of ethnic violence, Varshney shows. Vigorous and communally integrated associational life can serve as an agent of peace by restraining those, including powerful politicians, who would polarize Hindus and Muslims along communal lines.

Genres: India, Politics, Islam, Nonfiction, Research, Religion, Academia

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences, Department of Political Science, and Watson Institute of International Studies Director, Brown-India Initiative, Brown University.

EDUCATION:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA.
Ph.D. in Political Science.
S.M. in Political Science.

Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
M.Phil. Studies, School of International Studies.

University of Allahabad, Allahabad, India.
Masters in Political Science, and B.A.

Reviews

[Soundarya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read better!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book presents data to prove that ethnic conflict is not an insolvable situation. The economist author asks why some indian cities have little trouble even though other cities with similarly divided populations are in flames. With data, he concludes that prevention involves the establishment of non-sectarian buisness councils, book-clubs, and other groups - all of which can be sponsored by the political class when that class percieves peace to be in their own interest.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good analysis of conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India. By doing town level comparisons of areas with a history of violence and areas with a history of peace, Varshney is able to explain why some areas are prone to violence and others aren't. Such knowledge can be the foundation for building peaceful relations between religious groups in India.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly researched and well-written study of ethnic violence in India. Varshney uses a unique research method: he compares similar cities with high or low levels of ethnic violence, and then tries to explain why some cities have more violence than others. The result is persuasive! I would like to see his method applied to other regions.

[Dev Scott Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

the gold standard for academic treatment of this subject matter