Religious Nationalism: Narendra Modi’s 2019 Election Victory Speech
The ideology of nationalism is permeating and ascending across societies, eventually manifesting materially in several nations across the world. In this essay, I analyze the religious manifestation of nationalism within the context of India’s Hindu nationalism. I argue that Modi, in his 2019 electio...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Nihar Sreepada |
| author_facet | Nihar Sreepada |
| author_sort | Nihar Sreepada |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The ideology of nationalism is permeating and ascending across societies, eventually manifesting materially in several nations across the world. In this essay, I analyze the religious manifestation of nationalism within the context of India’s Hindu nationalism. I argue that Modi, in his 2019 election victory speech, constructs a grand narrative of Hindu nationalistic unification by positioning himself as a Hindu sanyasi (ascetic) and by alluding to Hindu mythologies. First, I present the historical context of India’s Hindu nationalism (Hindutva). Second, I explicate the formation of an ideological discourse through Kenneth Burke’s focus on identification and the constitutive rhetoric of calling into being the second and third persona. Third, I critique the ideological formations of Modi’s speech for its grand narrative of Hindu nationalistic unification. Fourth, I conclude within a broader context of national collective imaginings and the ideological formations of nationalistic rhetoric. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c2adbba692cb4812b69e4ff5cc8985a6 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj-art-c2adbba692cb4812b69e4ff5cc8985a62025-08-20T02:43:02ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-03-0116334910.3390/rel16030349Religious Nationalism: Narendra Modi’s 2019 Election Victory SpeechNihar Sreepada0Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USAThe ideology of nationalism is permeating and ascending across societies, eventually manifesting materially in several nations across the world. In this essay, I analyze the religious manifestation of nationalism within the context of India’s Hindu nationalism. I argue that Modi, in his 2019 election victory speech, constructs a grand narrative of Hindu nationalistic unification by positioning himself as a Hindu sanyasi (ascetic) and by alluding to Hindu mythologies. First, I present the historical context of India’s Hindu nationalism (Hindutva). Second, I explicate the formation of an ideological discourse through Kenneth Burke’s focus on identification and the constitutive rhetoric of calling into being the second and third persona. Third, I critique the ideological formations of Modi’s speech for its grand narrative of Hindu nationalistic unification. Fourth, I conclude within a broader context of national collective imaginings and the ideological formations of nationalistic rhetoric.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/3/349religious nationalismHindu nationalist sanyasiHindu mythologyconstitutive rhetoricsecond personathird persona |
| spellingShingle | Nihar Sreepada Religious Nationalism: Narendra Modi’s 2019 Election Victory Speech Religions religious nationalism Hindu nationalist sanyasi Hindu mythology constitutive rhetoric second persona third persona |
| title | Religious Nationalism: Narendra Modi’s 2019 Election Victory Speech |
| title_full | Religious Nationalism: Narendra Modi’s 2019 Election Victory Speech |
| title_fullStr | Religious Nationalism: Narendra Modi’s 2019 Election Victory Speech |
| title_full_unstemmed | Religious Nationalism: Narendra Modi’s 2019 Election Victory Speech |
| title_short | Religious Nationalism: Narendra Modi’s 2019 Election Victory Speech |
| title_sort | religious nationalism narendra modi s 2019 election victory speech |
| topic | religious nationalism Hindu nationalist sanyasi Hindu mythology constitutive rhetoric second persona third persona |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/3/349 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT niharsreepada religiousnationalismnarendramodis2019electionvictoryspeech |