Violence is an essential factor in forming the modern state. In a compelling and persuasive discussion, Charles Tilly not only refers to state formation as a type of ‘organized crime’ but concludes that war-making became central to creating the modern European state. Simultaneously, wars proved critical to generating the state’s proverbial monopoly over legitimized violence. Then, is violence indispensable in nation-making rather than being a ‘perversion’ of the latter? As we know, the formation of national consciousness has long been a perennial popular academic theme. In light of the new surge of nationalism exemplified by the recent rise of populism and the Ukraine war, this presentation will reconsider the relationship between nation-making and violence.
Concretely, I examine the case of India. As is commonly known, the mainstream Indian national movement was based on nonviolence, which paradoxically indicates the importance of violence in the formation of the ‘Indian nation.’ After 75 years of its independence, we are witnessing a steep rise in vigilante attacks (often related to the politics of ‘cow protection’) and the widespread recurrence of small-scale violence in minority communities. Observing these developments, I want to explore the relationship between the nation-state and violence in contemporary India.
The event is in a hybrid format. The Zoom link is below.