In this online event, participants will gain insights into key issues regarding India’s democracy, economy and geopolitical role – with a special focus on the implications of Narendra Modi’s rise for India and the world.
In this online event, Prof. Dr. Nicolas Martin from the department of Indian/South Asian Studies at the University of Zurich, will explore how, since 2014, Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to dominate world’s largest democracy and fifth-largest economy. Prof. Martin will explain how Modi’s initial rise to power stemmed from widespread dissatisfaction with the legacy of the Congress Party that had led India to independence and established the country as a secular democracy with socialist leanings. Modi promised to break with the Congress legacy by championing Hindu nationalism and accelerating pro-market reforms that began in the 1990s.
The talk will examine how Modi’s leadership and the BJP’s vision of a unified Hindu nation have reshaped India’s political landscape, with promises of economic growth and national cohesion. After a decade in power, what has the BJP truly achieved? While economic results remain mixed, concerns about the erosion of democratic institutions are growing. Prof. Martin will also assess India’s evolving role on the global stage under Modi’s tenure.
Location: Online (Zoom)
Input: Prof. Dr. Nicolas Martin, Professor of Modern Indology / South Asian Studies, University of Zurich
Organisation: Dr. Nicholas Arnold, Swiss Study Foundation
Administration: Michelle Hug, Swiss Study Foundation
Target group: all beneficiaries of the Swiss Study Foundation (no limit to number of participants)
Registration deadline: November 24th 2024
