History of British India

            The term ‘communalism’ comes from the term community.  Relating this to the history of British India, it is considered to be an ideology wherein specific preference is given to connections and affiliations with the social structure (caste system) and religious beliefs (Hinduism and Islam) (Simeon 1). Through the interaction of the community, it became the necessary norms and influenced how decisions are administered and political structures are specifically created. These clashes of political ideals that are influenced by both religious and cultural practices opens up ways to understand India’s history and the expansion of political ideals. 

            Operating on the British perspective, they specifically see the development of ‘communalism’ as backward and primitive. This means that the values that the ideology promotes resembles the time when they first colonized the country. Its people remain to be divided into specific classes (castes) and had to fulfill some roles and functions. The actions engaged in this belief remain to be religiously motivated and influenced by irrational viewpoints. This equally was an issue as the British sought to promote its Western views which focus on economic development, rationality and liberal in nature.

            Considering the work of Gyanendra Pandey, he specifically outlines the different patterns within India’s history that shaped the development of communalism as a concept. Looking closely, each chapter was relevant in helping readers understand the religious, cultural and social context of identity development. In addition, there is of course, the influences of colonization and how the British occupation influenced the development of democratic and modern ideals particularly in creating an identity as ‘Hindu’.

            Looking closely, one of the principal features of colonial construction of communalism comes from the historical development of communities within India.  Several chapters of Pandey’s book examines these connections and how it has shaped the perspective of varying communities that have come to live together during the colonial occupation. Arguably, it allows reader to familiarize that the context of community differences exercising different roles through the caste system and religious ideals (Hindu and Muslim) (Pandey 32).

            Another important attribute that Pandey uses to relate the development of ‘communalism’ is violence and riots that occurred between Muslim and Hindu groups. The different examples in the book seek to show the existence of fighting between communities that are influenced by differing religious, cultural and traditional practices. Likewise, these actions illustrate a depiction of history that is characterized to be irrational, violent and only pursues individual interests. For Pandey, it became the basis for colonial perspective in understanding how communalism came to happen in India’s society.

            Lastly, there is the religious connection as to how the concept of ‘communalism’ was conceptualized. Given the continued culture of the caste, its interaction with religion provided the creation of different identities. Instead of having a consciousness that is ‘Hindu’ or ‘India’, the group separated into communities and factions that relates to their religious beliefs. These conflicting viewpoints promoted by the caste and religious views shaped the manner that ‘communalism’ was created.

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Works Cited

Pandey, Gyanendra. The Construction of Communalism in Colonial North India, Third Edition.

2012. Oxford University Press; United States.

Simeon, Dilip. ‘India: What is Communalism?’ SACW.net 10 Nov. 1986 Web Available from

<http://www.sacw.net/article6174.html>