Heroes in the Bedroom? Iconoclash and the Search for Exemplarity in India

This article addresses the issue of violent, controversial attacks on artists and works of art in India, which have been increasing with the rise of religious nationalism since the 1990s. It argues that understanding the attacks solely on the basis of religious and political ideologies, though demon...

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Main Author: Malvika Maheshwari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du Sud 2010-12-01
Series:South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/3044
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author Malvika Maheshwari
author_facet Malvika Maheshwari
author_sort Malvika Maheshwari
collection DOAJ
description This article addresses the issue of violent, controversial attacks on artists and works of art in India, which have been increasing with the rise of religious nationalism since the 1990s. It argues that understanding the attacks solely on the basis of religious and political ideologies, though demonstrable, may not be adequate, for it overlooks the most important agent of action: the individuals who lead the attacks and indulge in violence. I argue that a common theme that defines the microsociological make-up of this violence is the choice for glory through a collective imagination, a personal take on the cult of the hero.
format Article
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publisher Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du Sud
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series South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal
spelling doaj-art-d513e5bc40ee4065bed02824f57ba77d2025-08-20T02:33:59ZengCentre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du SudSouth Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal1960-60602010-12-01410.4000/samaj.3044Heroes in the Bedroom? Iconoclash and the Search for Exemplarity in IndiaMalvika MaheshwariThis article addresses the issue of violent, controversial attacks on artists and works of art in India, which have been increasing with the rise of religious nationalism since the 1990s. It argues that understanding the attacks solely on the basis of religious and political ideologies, though demonstrable, may not be adequate, for it overlooks the most important agent of action: the individuals who lead the attacks and indulge in violence. I argue that a common theme that defines the microsociological make-up of this violence is the choice for glory through a collective imagination, a personal take on the cult of the hero.https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/3044Indiaheroesviolencearticonoclashindividual activism
spellingShingle Malvika Maheshwari
Heroes in the Bedroom? Iconoclash and the Search for Exemplarity in India
South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal
India
heroes
violence
art
iconoclash
individual activism
title Heroes in the Bedroom? Iconoclash and the Search for Exemplarity in India
title_full Heroes in the Bedroom? Iconoclash and the Search for Exemplarity in India
title_fullStr Heroes in the Bedroom? Iconoclash and the Search for Exemplarity in India
title_full_unstemmed Heroes in the Bedroom? Iconoclash and the Search for Exemplarity in India
title_short Heroes in the Bedroom? Iconoclash and the Search for Exemplarity in India
title_sort heroes in the bedroom iconoclash and the search for exemplarity in india
topic India
heroes
violence
art
iconoclash
individual activism
url https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/3044
work_keys_str_mv AT malvikamaheshwari heroesinthebedroomiconoclashandthesearchforexemplarityinindia