Saumitra Jha (Associate Professor of Political Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business) joins my podcast (“Rocking Our Priors”) to discuss what prevents Hindu-Muslim conflict. In “Trade, Institutions, and Ethnic Tolerance: Evidence from South Asia
Does it make sense to label South India as less culturally tight than North India? Isn't South India have higher rates of endogomy than North India?
RSS has traditionally been very anti caste because they wanted to create a shared Hindu identity. By that logic if Hindus become less castist (less culturally tight on one dimension) they might become more anti Muslim (more culturally tight on another dimension). From what I understand BJP supporters tend to be urban Hindus who vote on religious lines and not caste lines.
Why does the South have fewer Hindu BJP voters then? Also, if I'm not mistaken, the South is more gender egalitarian, which supports the idea that the South is more liberal in several dimensions. All that said, I think your point is an important and underdiscussed one. To the extent that the BJP promotes a unified Hindu identity, the party's popularity likely has the effect of weakening the salience of caste and other pre-modern identities in favor of a modern national identity in India.
Yeah. I don't think the south is more gender egalitarian. Wife beating is more socially acceptable in the south than it is in the north. In the south have more education and job opportunities because of the legacy of rice farming.
I wondered about that too. Maybe South Indians don't worry much about interreligious marriage because high levels of endogamy make it seem like an unrealistic prospect anyway.
As people urbanise they go from worshipping small gods to big gods. From local identity to large impersonal identity.
That might explain the falling popularity of Sufi saints in Bangladesh. As we urbanised we stopped worshipping local saints (which sometimes even involved giving patronage to local hindu gods) and identifying more to the "global Muslim community". As Bengali Muslims get richer and more likely to personal go to Mecca for pilgrimage this will strengthen the motion of the global Muslim community.
Unfortunately this will increase the probably of anti Hindu violence in Bangladesh as the country urbanises and gets richer. As a non Muslim Bengali my prospects aren't looking too good.
Does it make sense to label South India as less culturally tight than North India? Isn't South India have higher rates of endogomy than North India?
RSS has traditionally been very anti caste because they wanted to create a shared Hindu identity. By that logic if Hindus become less castist (less culturally tight on one dimension) they might become more anti Muslim (more culturally tight on another dimension). From what I understand BJP supporters tend to be urban Hindus who vote on religious lines and not caste lines.
Why does the South have fewer Hindu BJP voters then? Also, if I'm not mistaken, the South is more gender egalitarian, which supports the idea that the South is more liberal in several dimensions. All that said, I think your point is an important and underdiscussed one. To the extent that the BJP promotes a unified Hindu identity, the party's popularity likely has the effect of weakening the salience of caste and other pre-modern identities in favor of a modern national identity in India.
*women have more education and job opportunities
Yeah. I don't think the south is more gender egalitarian. Wife beating is more socially acceptable in the south than it is in the north. In the south have more education and job opportunities because of the legacy of rice farming.
I wondered about that too. Maybe South Indians don't worry much about interreligious marriage because high levels of endogamy make it seem like an unrealistic prospect anyway.
As people urbanise they go from worshipping small gods to big gods. From local identity to large impersonal identity.
That might explain the falling popularity of Sufi saints in Bangladesh. As we urbanised we stopped worshipping local saints (which sometimes even involved giving patronage to local hindu gods) and identifying more to the "global Muslim community". As Bengali Muslims get richer and more likely to personal go to Mecca for pilgrimage this will strengthen the motion of the global Muslim community.
Unfortunately this will increase the probably of anti Hindu violence in Bangladesh as the country urbanises and gets richer. As a non Muslim Bengali my prospects aren't looking too good.
How can I access your podcast?
P.S. Never mind; got it.