Civilization and Nationalism in India: Diachronic Perspectives
Title : Civilization and Nationalism in India: Diachronic Perspectives
Guest : Christophe Jaffrelot (Sciences Po, CERI)
Moderator : Marie-Caroline Saglio-Yatzimirsky (Inalco, CESSMA)
Abstract :
Nationalism has always been expressed in terms of civilization in India. But Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru referred to Indian civilization, whereas Narendra Modi and his lieutenants today promote Hindu civilization. This difference is important because Gandhi and Nehru emphasized the tolerant qualities of a hybrid civilization, while Modi, behind his irenic rhetoric, presents a return to a Hindu civilization purified of external influences as necessary to reaffirm its superiority. We will examine this process through several themes (Hindu spirituality linked to yoga, the Indian origins of democracy, and the expansion of Hindu culture in Asia from Buddhism to the empires of the Middle Ages), drawing on numerous historical references to show that this grand national narrative is not recent but has undergone variations since the 19th century.
(The session will be held in French)
Date, time : Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (Paris time).
Place, room Maison de la recherche de l'Inalco (2 rue de Lille, 75007 Paris), Salle de Sacy
Format : hybrid (link sent a day before the event)
Indo-Pacific Organizing Committee ;
- Rémi Castets (Université Bordeaux Montaigne, D2iA)
- Jérôme Doyon (Sciences Po, CERI)
- Jean-François Huchet (Inalco, IFRAE)
- Christophe Jaffrelot (Sciences Po, CERI)
- Alexandre Gandil, postdoctorant, programme DÉCRIPT (Université Bordeaux Montaigne, D2iA).
Registration for the seminar is open until April 7 at 4:00 p.m. (Paris time):