THE MINORITY SPEAKS: INDIAN MUSLIMS’ RESISTANCE AGAINST THE BJP & HINDU NATIONALISM

Abstract

Since the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party, India has hastened its transformation into a country dominated by Hindu nationalism. With Hindu nationalism aspiring to remove minorities, particularly Muslims from India, how would Indian Muslims assert their place in India? This thesis investigates the ways Indian Muslims have resisted Hindu nationalism. As there is a research gap in the studies of Indian Muslim resistance, where the resistance focuses on episodes of overt resistance, an ‘everyday resistance’ framework is employed. Using the Critical Discourse Analysis method, I analysed texts from Muslim civil society organisations. Thus, the various resistance strategies Muslims articulate are presented and the impacts of the strategies are examined to determine the effectiveness of the resistance. Hence, this thesis aims to provide a voice to the oppressed Indian Muslims and their resistance against the dominant Hindu nationalists.