Religious Demography of India: Myths and Realities

Book Details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Author: Lancy Lobo

• Language: English

• ISBN: 9788131609323

• Pages: 188

• Cover: Hardcover

• Release Date: 30-04-2018

• Package Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches

About the Book
This volume delves into the religious demography of India and how it shapes public life, especially its influence on democratic politics. It examines the myths and realities surrounding religious population growth rates, particularly the anxiety about Hindus being outnumbered in the country. Through a series of essays, the book explores the emotional and political aspects of religious demographic concerns, which have often been sensationalized in the media, politics, and academia.

The book critiques the illicit dramatization of Census statistics, which have been manipulated to incite nationalistic sentiments, often at the expense of pluralistic identities. The volume dismantles the myths surrounding the decline of major religious communities in India, showing that no major group, except Parsis, has witnessed a decline in absolute numbers.

The volume also investigates the complex interplay between religious demography, identity politics, and communal tensions in post-independence India. It highlights the ways in which demographic fears have fueled majoritarianism and minority assertiveness, often undermining the inclusive, syncretic fabric of Indian society.

Aimed at demographers, sociologists, political scientists, and anyone interested in the dynamics of India’s public life, this book challenges the myths propagated by those seeking political power under religious pretenses.

Contents

1. Introduction: Lancy Lobo and Jayesh Shah

2. Demography of Religious Groups in India: Evidence versus Myths - Leela Visaria

3. Transition in Hindu and Muslim Population Growth Rates: Myth and Reality - R.B. Bhagat

4. Religion-Based Identity Politics in India Since 1947 - M.S. Gill

5. Census and Colonialism: Tracing the Roots of Religious Demographic Anxiety - V. Sebastian

6. Demography, Minorities and Communalism - Ambrose Pinto

7. Muslim Demography and Democracy - J.S. Bandukwala

8. Demographic Profile of Parsi Population in India: Some Concerns - U.V. Somayajulu

9. Kandhamal Riot: Role of Demographic Composition, Manipulation of Identity and Communal Polarization - Himanshu Sekhar Mishra

10. Index

About the Author
Lancy Lobo holds a doctorate in sociology from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. He is currently the Director of the Centre for Culture and Development in Vadodara. With an extensive background in studies on Dalits, tribals, OBCs, and minorities in rural and urban Gujarat, Lobo has authored and co-authored seventeen books. He has been an International Fellow at the Woodstock Centre, Georgetown University.

Co-Author
Jayesh Shah is a consultant at the Centre for Culture and Development in Vadodara. With post-graduate diplomas in various fields, including Industrial Relations, Labour Laws, Organizational Behaviour, Clinical Psychology, and Computer Science, he has served as a Chief Executive Officer and freelance Management Consultant. He has also co-authored four books and published numerous articles in professional journals.