Enlightenment and Violence: Modernity and Nation-making (SAGE Series in Modern Indian History)

Enlightenment and Violence: Modernity and Nation-Making, is a study in Political History.  It compares 16th century Indian history to the early modern histories of Iran, Turkey and Western Europe, in order to ground analysis of their 20th century nation-making experiences within a common problematic. The central focus is upon the Indian National Independence movement under Gandhi, and its link to the post-independence Nehru period.  A history of ideas and practices, the book proposes a multi-centred and non-Eurocentric interpretation of the Enlightenment as a human heritage.  As a comparative study, it reconstructs how modernity was negotiated in different intellectual and political contexts as a national discourse within the broader heritage of Enlightenment.  The comparison juxtaposes an ethic of reconciliation and totalizing projects as means in nation-making.  The conclusion suggests the possibility of a new paradigm in non-violent conflict resolution for the modern context, with important theoretical and practical precedents.