Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. xii, 320 pp. (Tables, graphs, figures.) US$109.00, cloth. ISBN 9780190623876.
This book contests the widely held view that elections in India are seldom fought around ideas and that Indian party politics is non-ideological in nature and, by extension, shows that ideology is central to the Indian party system. To this end the terms “Indian party politics,” “Indian party system,” and “Indian politics” are used interchangeably by the authors. Ideology and Identity focuses on “ideology” and the theme of “identity” seems to inhere in discussions on ideology. The authors draw readers’ attention to different processes of state formation in many multiethnic countries and insightfully questions the applicability of the ideas and paradigms of western Europe to understand conflict and the role of ideas in party politics of multiethnic countries like India; in the process they propose a fresh perspective on what constitutes ideology in multiethnic societies.
The concepts of the politics of statism and the politics of recognition are central to understanding the authors’ arguments in this book. The former refers to debates and conflicts over the role of the state in transforming social traditions, and the latter is about the state’s role as accommodator of various social groups. According to the authors, these two themes—statism and recognition—constitute the ideological space of party politics in India. This formulation merits serious consideration and can be considered the main contribution of the book. Differing positions taken by political parties, their members, and the voters on statism and recognition, they endeavor to show, account for changing party systems of India, the rise of regional parties, the decline of the Congress and resurgence of the BJP. This perspective also throws light on the importance of leadership in Indian politics.
This book relies heavily on data collected by the Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). It is uncommon to come across an empirical work like this in the area of political theory. Also, the authors draw heavily on literature in the area to develop their arguments. While this reflects the expansive nature of the work, at places one cannot escape the feeling that too much material is being crammed in and too many references and footnotes are getting in the way of a smooth reading of the text.
In chapter 1, the authors argue that ideological divisions in contemporary Indian party politics have their roots in the process of state formation in colonial and independent India. They maintain that ideological divide should be stable over time and highlight the importance of a mechanism by which ideas associated with the divide are transmitted from the elite to the voters. Using data from India’s 2014 National Election Study (NES), chapter 2 presents empirical evidence for the claims made in chapter 1. Chapter 3 explores the intellectual lineages of the ideological divide identified by the authors. This chapter has a rich discussion of political thought in India and touches upon a whole range of issues confronting contemporary Indian politics. Using evidence from three election surveys, in chapter 4, the authors show that “opposition to reservations in India stems both from prejudice and policy concerns” (102).
Chapter 5 presents an empirical challenge to the clientelism thesis of Indian politics; here the authors argue that it is ideology that influences more than anything else the choice of voters in India. Though the authors acknowledge the role of patronage and other corrupt practices in electoral politics of India, there is no mention of any crisis in the Indian party system or in our polity. In this context, it is noteworthy that scholars like Suhas Palshikar has drawn our attention to a crisis of our political parties and also of the polity (“When BJP equals Congress”, The Indian Express, March 31, 2017). Chapter 6 highlights the importance of leadership in Indian politics. Here the authors make a distinction between “transactional leaders” and “transformational leaders.” According to them, while transactional leaders act as mediators between citizens and the state, major shifts in Indian party politics have been effected by transformational leaders who have offered a vision and articulated a clear-cut stand on the politics of statism and recognition. Chapter 7 discusses how the ideas carried by political elites get transmitted to voters. Here the authors try to show that participation in religious and other associational activities, education and socialization, and media play important roles in the transmission of ideology to the masses.
In chapter 8, the authors show that ideological divisions between the politics of statism and the politics of recognition have remained stable over a period of time. This chapter also briefly discusses major changes in the party system in India since independence. Chapter 9 documents the decline of the Congress and the emergence of regional parties. Here the authors contest the view that “representational blockage and organizational reversals (of the Congress) suffice to account for the Congress Party’s decline and for the rise of regional parties” (7). Chapter 10 discusses how the BJP became the principal carrier of conservatism in India. Giving a historical overview of the rise of Hindu majoritarianism as an idea, the authors show how the BJP succeeded in incorporating the conservatism of not only the Congress, but also of many right-wing parties. They also discuss the rise of the second dominant-party system led by the BJP and its challenges. The last chapter summarizes the arguments of the book and makes a case for a distinct ideological vision as a prerequisite to survival of any political party.
This book will be useful to students and scholars interested in understanding the intellectual lineages of the issues that concern political parties in India today, and the Indian party system. It is well organized and the proofreading is good; however, there are a few typos and some discrepancies between references and the details mentioned in the bibliography.
Ganeshdatta Poddar
Foundation for Liberal and Management Education University, Pune, India