Unit III: Cultural Nationalism: Conceptions of Identity, Past and Violence
Cultural nationalism represents a powerful mode through which political communities imagine themselves by invoking shared culture, history, and identity. In India, cultural nationalism has played a complex and often contentious role in shaping political life. Rather than being a neutral celebration of cultural heritage, it has functioned as a political project—selectively interpreting the past, defining the boundaries of belonging, and legitimizing particular forms of power.
This unit examines cultural nationalism as a set of ideas and practices that connect identity, historical memory, and violence. It highlights how narratives of culture and tradition are mobilized to produce political unity, while simultaneously generating exclusion and conflict.
Cultural Nationalism and the Construction of Identity
Cultural nationalism differs from civic or constitutional nationalism in that it defines the nation primarily through cultural markers such as religion, language, tradition, and shared symbols. Identity is not based on citizenship or political rights alone, but on perceived cultural sameness.
In this framework, the nation is imagined as a cultural community bound by a common past and moral values. Identity becomes essentialized, presenting culture as timeless and homogeneous. Such constructions often marginalize internal diversity and suppress plural ways of belonging.
In the Indian context, cultural nationalism has frequently centered dominant cultural traditions as representative of the nation, thereby relegating minority cultures to the margins. The politics of identity here operates through inclusion and exclusion, determining who can legitimately claim national belonging.
The Past as Political Resource
A defining feature of cultural nationalism is its relationship with the past. History is not treated as an open field of inquiry, but as a reservoir of symbols, myths, and heroes that can be mobilized for present political purposes.
Cultural nationalist narratives often construct a glorious and unified past, portraying the nation as an ancient, continuous civilization. This selective reading of history obscures social conflicts, hierarchies, and historical change. Complex pasts are simplified into moral tales of pride, victimhood, or loss.
In India, ancient texts, epics, and religious traditions are frequently invoked to legitimize contemporary political claims. Such uses of the past transform history into memory politics, where remembering and forgetting become acts of power.
Identity, Othering, and the Politics of Exclusion
Cultural nationalism depends on the construction of an “Other” against which national identity is defined. The self-image of the nation gains coherence by marking cultural difference as threat or deviation.
Religious minorities, linguistic groups, and dissenting voices are often portrayed as outsiders or internal enemies. This process of othering converts cultural difference into political suspicion. National identity is thus secured not only through shared culture, but through the exclusion of those deemed culturally incompatible.
Such exclusionary logics undermine pluralism and weaken democratic principles. The nation becomes a moral community with strict boundaries, rather than a political association based on rights and equality.
Violence and the Sacred Nation
Violence occupies a paradoxical place within cultural nationalism. While cultural nationalism often presents itself as a moral and spiritual project, it can legitimize violence in the name of protecting culture or restoring historical justice.
When the nation is sacralized—imagined as holy, ancient, and under threat—violence against perceived enemies is framed as necessary or even virtuous. Cultural symbols become emotionally charged, making political conflicts deeply affective.
In the Indian context, communal violence has frequently been justified through narratives of historical grievance and cultural defense. Violence here is not random; it is symbolic and performative, aimed at asserting dominance and redrawing social boundaries.
Colonialism, Cultural Nationalism, and Modern Politics
Cultural nationalism in India cannot be separated from the experience of colonialism. Anti-colonial movements often used culture as a source of pride and resistance against imperial domination. Reclaiming indigenous traditions became a way to assert self-worth and political autonomy.
However, this anti-colonial cultural assertion also produced tensions. While culture served as a unifying force against colonial rule, it also risked homogenizing diverse social experiences. Postcolonial cultural nationalism inherited this ambivalence, oscillating between resistance and exclusion.
The transformation of cultural nationalism from an anti-colonial discourse into a dominant political ideology marks a critical shift in post-independence politics.
Critiques of Cultural Nationalism
Several scholars have critically examined cultural nationalism for its reductionist and authoritarian tendencies. Rabindranath Tagore warned against aggressive nationalism that subordinates ethical universalism to cultural pride. He emphasized openness, dialogue, and humanism over rigid national identities.
Similarly, Amartya Sen critiques singular and exclusive identities, arguing that individuals possess multiple affiliations that cannot be reduced to one cultural essence. Cultural nationalism, when absolutized, denies this plurality and fosters intolerance.
Postcolonial theorists further argue that cultural nationalism often masks social hierarchies—such as caste and gender—by presenting culture as a unified whole.
Identity, Memory, and Contestation
Cultural nationalism is not uncontested. Competing interpretations of culture, history, and identity continue to challenge dominant narratives. Marginalized groups question whose culture is being represented as national culture and whose histories are being erased.
Alternative cultural politics—through literature, art, and social movements—offer counter-memories that expose silenced pasts and reimagine identity in inclusive terms. These contestations reveal that cultural nationalism is not fixed, but continually negotiated and resisted.
Conclusion: Cultural Nationalism as a Site of Conflict
Cultural nationalism in India emerges as a powerful yet problematic force. By linking identity to selective visions of the past, it seeks to produce national unity, but often at the cost of diversity and democratic values. Its reliance on exclusion and its potential to legitimize violence expose deep contradictions within the project of nation-building.
Understanding cultural nationalism requires recognizing it as a political strategy rather than a natural expression of culture. The debates around identity, memory, and violence underscore the need for critical engagement with nationalism—one that foregrounds plurality, historical complexity, and constitutional ethics.
References
- Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities.
- Chatterjee, Partha. The Nation and Its Fragments.
- Sen, Amartya. Identity and Violence.
- Tagore, Rabindranath. Nationalism.
- Bhatt, Chetan. Hindu Nationalism: Origins, Ideologies and Modern Myths.
