ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the manner in which communalism was constructed in the colonial period in northern India, an integral element of which was the stereotyping of the Muslims of Banaras. A significant factor in the fomenting of Hindu-Muslim antagonisms is the crucial role played by Hindu nationalism. There are two contradictory aspects of Hindu-Muslim relations in the city that are significant: on the one hand the city has acquired a reputation for being riot-prone and on the other, it is also perceived as one where there exists an interdependence between the two communities. The crucial role of women and the nature of gender relations becomes a significant factor in situations of communal strife and pervasive discrimination. Muslim politicians, religious leaders and other Muslim organizations have also contributed to the process, but the main driving forces behind the spatial extension of these local conflicts, and the main beneficiaries, have been the militant Hindu family of organizations.
