ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the evolution and growth of Hindu nationalism as politicized religion in Indian democracy over time, distinguishing it from Hinduism as religion. By focusing on gender and the role of women, it denaturalizes the presumed link between religion and politicized religion, exposing instead the contingent and constructed nature of that relationship. The chapter traces the patchy electoral record and changing roles of women in Hindu nationalist politics in India prior to the 2014 election. The remarkable results of the 2014 election point up the urgent scholarly and political need for comparative political science to engage the case of Hinduism and Hindu nationalism in India's democracy. The chapter also examines two bodies of literature to help explain or understand the role of Hinduism and Hindu nationalism in Indian democracy: the general comparative literature on religion and politics, and the literature on women in Hindu nationalism.
