ABSTRACT
Throughout this study, I have analyzed the four history textbooks published under the rule of the BJP through the prism of identity politics. The main aim of the BJP is to promote and strengthen Hindu identity as the primary frame of identification for India’s Hindus. Such an identity can be termed categorical, in that it operates on the abstract level of categorization. 1 I have paid attention to the many challenges facing such a project, connected to the overall political context, the social fabric of India and the very nature of Hindu nationalist ideology. Through its involvement in the Ayodhya campaign, the BJP experienced electoral success in the early 1990s, although this success was confined to certain regions and social segments. This has to be viewed in light of the prevalent perception of the BJP and of Hindu nationalist ideology as representing the interests of upper caste North Indians.
