The Virtual Hindu Rashtra

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From websites devoted to battling a Left-liberal media ecosystem to the formidable internet army of Hindu Right volunteers, from online narratives of Hindu valour to Narendra Modi s impeccably-managed social media presence, new media is an integral part of present-day Hindu nationalism. The Virtual Hindu Rashtra examines the relationship of Hindu nationalism and new media as manifested across a range of internet spaces, including Twitter trends in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party s government policies, Facebook pages dedicated to the cultural project of establishing a Hindu state, and WhatsApp groups circulating jokes about Modi s critics. Situating online Hindu nationalism in a historical context, this book analyses the movement with respect to national and global political trends, such as the ascendancy of authoritarian political personalities worldwide and the phenomenon of fake news. Parsing the many expressions of online Hindu nationalism, the book concludes with a reflection on the implications of the relationship of Hindu nationalism and new media for democracy in India.