Political deification of Lord Parshuram: Tracing Brahminic masculinity in contemporary North India

Bhattacharya, Jigisha (2022) Political deification of Lord Parshuram: Tracing Brahminic masculinity in contemporary North India. Religion, 52 (4). pp. 550-575. ISSN 1096-1151

[thumbnail of Political deification of Lord Parshuram tracing Brahminic masculinity in contemporary North India.pdf] Text
Political deification of Lord Parshuram tracing Brahminic masculinity in contemporary North India.pdf - Published Version
Restricted to Repository staff only

Download (5MB) | Request a copy

Abstract

This article explores the rising prominence of subterranean caste antagonism within the ideology of Hindutva within the Indian political landscape. It primarily analyses social media-based content like memes, posts, images, comments and other features to understand the contemporary processes of political deification of the Hindu god, Lord Parshuram. This article sees Parshuram’s popular emergence as a political icon as reflective of a masculine, militant face of contemporary Brahminic assertion. The article argues that, even though the ideological mandate of Hindutva apparently proposes a unity amongst its diverse sections, Parshuram’s contemporary politicization in digital social media reflects the dominant caste antagonisms within. In the process, this article engages with the complex relationship between the social structures of masculinity, religious majority and caste hierarchy, and study how they affect region-specific political consolidations in contemporary North India.

Item Type: Article
Keywords: Social media | Digital Hindutva | Lord Parshuram | Online casteism | Digital masculinity | Politicization of religion
Subjects: Social Sciences and humanities > Social Sciences > Social Sciences (General)
JGU School/Centre: Jindal Global Law School
Depositing User: Amees Mohammad
Date Deposited: 13 Jul 2022 08:50
Last Modified: 22 Feb 2023 10:58
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/0048721X.2022.2094775
URI: https://pure.jgu.edu.in/id/eprint/3786

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item
View Item