The rise of populist and rightwing movements and leaders in many parts of the world is often described as a return of fascism in new forms. But what was fascism actually, and how did it relate to other forms of authoritarian politics and ideology? In this lecture, I lay out two broad streams of authoritarianism in the early 20th century: fascism as it was articulated in Italy and Germany; and the national-conservative integralism that emerged Franco’s Spain, Portugal, Latin America and parts of Asia, including Japan. Examining the shared roots of these streams, and their differences, helps us understand the varieties of authoritarian and fascism-adjacent movements and ideologies in the world today, including in South Asia.
He has written on Hindu nationalism, Hindu-Muslim conflicts, and urban politics in India, as well as memory and cultural politics in India and post-apartheid South Africa. He is the author of The Saffron Wave. Democracy and Hindu nationalism in modern India (Princeton University Press 1999); Wages of Violence. Naming and identity in postcolonial Bombay (Princeton University Press 2001); Melancholia of Freedom. Social Life in an Indian Township in South Africa (Princeton University Press 2012); The Law of Force. The Violent Heart of Indian Politics (Aleph Books 2021).
This Yohsin Lecture is part of the Presidential Lecture Series that is sponsored by the Office of the President to bring the most distinguished scholars, artists and critics of our time to Habib University for engagement with civil society and the University's faculty and students. The Lecture is administered by Habib University's different schools and academic centers depending on the nature of talk and the invited guest.
