Reading Historical Alterity: Deconstructing the Muslim Other Trope in Hindutva Historiography, 1910-Present

Abstract

Why does the Hindutva movement in India cathect into its historical discourses? This analysis looks at the historiography produced by the intelligentsia of the Hindutva movement in India over the course of the last century to ascertain the position of the “Muslim Other” in its historical narratives. Using the “metahistorical” framework developed by Hayden White, I closely read the historical work of Veer Vinayak D. Savarkar and find that the deployment of the Muslim Other trope in his narrativization of Indian history is far from stable. Then, I analyze modern discourses which feature the Muslim Other, using speeches from Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as published online discourses, finding that the current Hindutva regime deploys historical discourse to create a “hauntological” effect where the present moment is continuously haunted by the past. Finally, I survey the responses to this historiography from professional academic historians and activists who seek to preserve the Muslim past of India. I argue that historians cannot only “debunk” Hindutva historiography on an empirical basis but need to account for the affective dimensions of the narratives as well.