Changing Political Orientations of the Middle Classes in India

Abstract

This chapter provides a sketchy picture of the Indian middle class. It presents some comments on contemporary political change and the role of the new middle class in these dramatic changes, namely the rise of Hindu nationalism and neo-liberalism. Though discerning a pattern in contemporary political change is fraught with difficulty, future historians will notice a connection between the political sway of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and economic neo-liberalism, which has provided a major benefit to the middle classes. Assessing the implications of these trends is even more difficult. But these trends reflect the assertions of the upper castes and upper and middle classes and have broader implications for the understanding of democracy in the post-colonial world. The chapter discusses the relationship of the middle classes to political Hinduism and the role it played in meeting the democratic challenge from the lower castes and classes.