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Fascism in India: Race, Caste, and Hindutva

Foreign Affairs | 2026-02-17 | society

Topics: China, Indo-Pacific

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English Summary

The analysis argues that Hindutva, India's Hindu nationalism, constitutes an indigenous fascist ideology, distinct from European models. Key evidence shows that while its goal is forced assimilation into a homogenized Hindu community rather than mass extermination, it utilizes the caste system as a functional tool of hierarchy and purity, paralleling Nazi racial theories. Policymakers must recognize that this ideology is fundamentally reshaping India's social and political landscape by reframing Hinduism from an ethnicity to a religion. This suggests that external strategic engagement must account for the unique, caste-based mechanisms of Indian nationalism, rather than applying standard Western definitions of fascism.

中文摘要

本分析認為,印度教民族主義「印度教」(Hindutva)是一種本土的法西斯意識形態,其特點區別於歐洲模式。關鍵證據顯示,儘管其目標是強制將人們同化到一個同質化的印度教社群,而非進行大規模種族滅絕,但它運用了「種姓制度」(caste system)作為維持層級和純潔的工具,這與納粹的種族理論存在相似之處。政策制定者必須認識到,這種意識形態正在透過將印度教從一個族裔身份重塑為一個宗教,從根本上改變印度的社會和政治格局。這表明,外部戰略介入必須考量印度民族主義獨特的、基於種姓的機制,而非套用標準的西方法西斯主義定義。

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