Citizens versus People: The Politics of Majoritarianism and Marginalization in Democratic India*

Racialisation, ‘religious violence’ and radicalisation: the persistence of narratives of ‘Sikh extremism’

“…As Gupta (2007) notes however, as most farmers in Punjab are Sikhs, any agricultural related demand tends to be viewed as a "Sikh problem", and therefore, "even non-religious issues appear to be inspired by religious considerations" (Gupta 2007: 30).…”

Political competition, relative deprivation, and perceived threat: a research note on anti-Christian violence in India

“…According to Gupta (2007 Having a close race in the previous state legislative election has a clear substantive effect: holding all other variables constant having a margin of 5% or less in the previous election leads to a predicted 0.003 riots per month, compared with 0.0009 riots in a town with wider election margins in the previous race. Table 4 shows that, on average, the NDA occupied about six Lok Sabha seats in states that experienced violence against Christians, versus less than one in the states that saw no violence.3 Furthermore, in the most recent election before the violent incidents (2004), the NDA garnered over one third of the vote in areas with violence against Christians, but only one fourth of the vote in the remaining areas.…”

Immigration, trade and ‘ethnic surplus value’: a critique of Indo–Canadian transnational networks

“…Indian Punjab and its majority Sikh population are subject to complex historical and cultural interpretations in both India and Canada. Gupta (2007) recounts the complicated relationship of marginalization and re-engagement between Sikhs and the Indian state during and since the tumultuous years of the attack on the Golden Temple (Sikhism's holiest site), Indira Gandhi's subsequent assassination and the ensuing Delhi riots resulting in the massacre of thousands of Sikhs. Gayer (2000) examines the globalization of Sikh identity politics during this period and, following the ideas of Appadurai (1996), how Sikh separatists within the diaspora enacted a form of 'Trojan nationalism', which offered a way for diasporan Sikhs to regain the status they had lost in their migration process.…”