Hindi Nationalism (tracks for the Times)This tract looks at the politics of language in India through a study of the history of one language Hindi. It traces the tragic metamorphosis of this language over the last century, from a creative, dynamic, popular language to a dead, Sanskritised, dePersianised language manufactured by a self-serving upper caste North Indian elite, nurturing hegemonic ambitions. From being a symbol of collective imagination it became a signifier of narrow sectarianism and regional chauvinism. The tract shows how this trans- formation of the language was tied up with the politics of communalism and regionalism. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Whats in a Name? | 11 |
The MacDonnell Moment | 17 |
Making a Difference | 50 |
The Heroic Agenda | 65 |
Hindi Nationalism | 93 |
Roads to the Present | 106 |
Notes | 123 |
| 131 | |
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