Religion, Secularism and National Development in India and China

Abstract

This article addresses the question of the relationship between religion and national development in India and China. It argues that instead of looking at secularisation as a necessary process in national development, one should focus on secularism as a powerful project of intellectuals and the state in these societies. In the post-colonial period, anti-consumerism in China took the form of Maoist secular utopianism, while in India it took the form of Gandhian religious utopianism. The article argues that religious elements can be found in both Indian and Chinese secularisms.

Notes

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