Description
The resurgence of nationalism reflects how antagonisms are changing, and democracies become more polarised as identities and patriotism are articulated in new ways. These processes reflect new articulations of hegemony and antagonism, which were the key concepts in the political theory of the late Ernesto Laclau. This paper follows up Laclau’s concept of antagonism as a way to analyse and understand the significance of the new Hindu nationalist regime in India and their redefinition of the people. The conceptual approach is relevant because of the ways in which the right-wing government has provided leeway for radical rhetoric, hostilities and controversial policies that aim to change important policies India’s liberal democracy. Rhetorically, a contested distinction between patriots and so-called ‘anti-nationals’ has been used to rearticulate hegemony and curb dissent. Additionally, new policies appear to confirm a reinterpretation of hegemony and the people, ranging from cow politics, borders to the contested Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. The paper will discuss these cases and the ways in which the concept of antagonism offers a possibility to make sense of hegemony in the study of nationalism in liberal democracies today.
