Communism

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Abstract
The concept of ‘communalism’ is based on that of ‘community’ and has to be understood in relation to the concepts of ‘nation’ and ‘civil society.’ Communalism signifies a politics of belonging that does not emphasize the nation in all its diversity, but the homogenous, religious community. It should be clear that the term communalism comes up as an alternative to nationalism, both in theories that explain the failure of the nation-state to emerge in certain parts of the world and in theories that explain the demise of the nation-state under conditions of globalisation. Like the use of the concept of ‘tribalism’ in the study of African politics ‘communalism’ is primarily used in the analysis of Indian society and politics and is seldom encountered in theoretical arguments of a more general nature. In the present era theories of the decline of the nation-state emphasize the possibility of trans-national, virtual communities that depend on new communication technologies. The extent to which these communities articulate a politics of communal belonging that is not territorially bound is striking.
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