Hanuman’s Army: Adivasi and Hindutva in Gujarat by Thane Bonar B.A., University of Victoria, 2004 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Political Science Thane Bonar, 2010 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. 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While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n’y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. ii Supervisory Committee Hanuman’s Army: Adivasi and Hindutva in Gujarat by Thane Bonar B.A., University of Victoria, 2004 Supervisory Committee Dr. Radhika Desai (Department of Political Science) Supervisor Dr. Matt James (Department of Political Science) Departmental Member iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Radhika Desai (Department of Political Science) Supervisor Dr. Matt James (Department of Political Science) Departmental Member Scholars writing on the rise of Hindutva, particularly in Gujarat state, have attributed its success to its ability to serve middle and upper caste and class interests. In recent state and Lok Sabha elections, though, Hindutva, through the Bharatiya Janata Party, has also made significant inroads outside of this elite, particularly in Adivasi (Aboriginal) communities. This electoral support has emerged alongside Adivasi participation in anti- minority violence in the Dangs District in 1999 and the 2002 post-Godhra carnage. This thesis seeks to understand these developments and in doing so rejects predominant explanations which rely on a paternalistic false-consciousness approach that strips the Adivasi of independent political agency. It shows that the economic development of Adivasi communities has led to stratification and the emergence of an Adivasi elite. Bourdieu’s notion of symbolic capital is used to show that the psychological rewards that Hindutva is able to offer this elite have material consequences and thus this hegemony can serve the interests of these elements of Adivasi society. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ...................................................................................................... ii Abstract..............................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures.................................................................................................................... vi Acronyms.......................................................................................................................... vii Glossary ...........................................................................................................................viii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. xi Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................... 1 Methodology................................................................................................................... 8 Structure........................................................................................................................ 10 Chapter 2: The Mental and the Material Elements of Hegemony .................................... 13 Conventional Explanations ........................................................................................... 15 Hindutva and the Subalternists ..................................................................................... 17 Dalits and Hindutva ...................................................................................................... 23 Ideology ........................................................................................................................ 27 Ideology and Hegemony............................................................................................... 29 Beyond Ideology? ......................................................................................................... 35 Cultural Capital............................................................................................................. 40 Social Capital................................................................................................................ 41 Chapter 3: The Adivasi: Origins to Independence............................................................ 43 To Be Adivasi ............................................................................................................... 44 Early Interactions.......................................................................................................... 47 India’s Tribes as Indigenous Peoples............................................................................ 52 Adivasi and Colonialism............................................................................................... 58 Isolation and Protection ................................................................................................ 66 Adivasi and the Nationalists ......................................................................................... 69 Chapter 4: Adivasi and Independent India........................................................................ 76 Nehru and India’s Tribal Policy.................................................................................... 78 Adivasi and the Politics of Gujarat ............................................................................... 83 The Stratification of Adivasi Society............................................................................ 88 Chapter 5: The Adivasi as the Foot Soldiers of Lord Ram............................................... 97 Dangs ............................................................................................................................ 99 2002 Post-Godhra Violence........................................................................................ 101 Fatehpura, Dahod.................................................................................................... 107 Panvad and Kawant, Vadodara............................................................................... 108 Sanjeli, Dahod......................................................................................................... 109 The BJP’s Electoral Success....................................................................................... 110 Electioneering in the Tribal Belt: the Strategies of the BJP ....................................... 116 Chapter 6: Hindutva as Symbolic Capital....................................................................... 127 Cultural Capital........................................................................................................... 130 Social Capital in the Hindu Fold................................................................................. 133 The Symbolic Capital of Hindutva ............................................................................. 134 v Hindutva as Hinduism................................................................................................. 135 Hindutva and the Adivasi Elite................................................................................... 137 Sanskritization............................................................................................................. 140 Chapter 7: Conclusion..................................................................................................... 145 Bibliography