Liberalisation, Hindu Nationalism and The State is a re-examination of the post-independence history and politics of Gujarat, one of India’s leading federal units. Today, Gujarat is known for its pioneering role in market liberalisation and as the site of ethno-religious strife.

Adopting a long-term view, the project offers a fresh perspective on the seemingly puzzling co-existence of economic liberalism and political illiberalism. Challenging paradigms that posit the decline of the developmental state in India, it places the ideas, institutions and politics of the state at the heart of the analysis.  Highlighting the state’s recent re-orientation, both as an enabler of the market and as a vehicle for Hindu cultural nationalism, the research establishes how interactions between a re-invigorated state, private corporate capital and ethno-nationalism are configuring the ‘new India’.