Meet the Author: A Discussion of Perry Anderson's The Indian Ideology

This is an Archive of a Past Event

In his famous work "The German Ideology" Marx launched a blistering attack on the dominant idealist philosophy of his time. Likewise, renowned Marxist historian Perry Anderson’s book from 2010 The Indian Ideology constitutes a forceful attack on the pieties of Indian nationalism and the iconic figures of Nehru and Gandhi. Anderson describes Nehru and Gandhi as men of limited, romantic and irrational vision whose weak leadership allowed dominant groups to consolidate their grip on the Indian state and society. The result is a weak, majoritarian state with an only superficial commitment to secular values and democracy, constantly at war with its own social and geographical margins. As can be expected, this verdict has stirred up considerable debate in India and beyond.

The Center for South Asia has invited Perry Anderson to discuss this book along with a range of noted historians of India to present commentaries on this provocative intervention. Please join us in what promises to be an intense and stimulating afternoon of debate on The Indian Ideology. 

Workshop with: Anjali Arondekar (UC Santa Cruz), Vinayak Chaturvedi (UC Irvine), Aishwary Kumar (Stanford University), Priya Satia (Stanford University), Juned Shaikh (UC Santa Cruz), Sudipto Sen (UC Davis)