Communalism, Globalization, and Governmentality: Some Reflections on South Asia

Any viable explanation of communalism must go beyond viewing all communalisms as nationalist fragments to delineate the differing natures of these fragments, as well as to study their changing configuration over time, including the ways in which they have been shaped by globalization. But since what distinguishes contemporary global processes from earlier geopolitical formations is that individuals are encouraged to voluntarily seek inclusion in the new global order, this article aims to extend the analysis of the relationship between communalism and globalization not only by exploring the ways in which the globalization of governmental processes that endeavour to fashion “the conditions in which the body is to live and to define its life” has served to shape contemporary communalisms but also by exploring the role of such communalisms in transforming the domain of global governmentality.