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Most writings on the theme of the nation confine themselves to discussions of ideology and thought, leaving out the question of the form of the nation. This selection of writings by Ranabir Samaddar fills in that void, presenting within two covers a whole range of dimensions, perspectives, and controversies of the last two decades on the question of the nation in India. It looks at the form of the Indian nation in terms of contests, contradictions, classes, and nationalist strategies of inclusion and exclusion. Thereby, Samaddar addresses two issues in view of the nation form its relation with democracy and the problem of governing the nation.

This selection not only comprises essays that stand on their own merit, but in their totality, it presents a historical summary of the nation’s experience through decades before and after Independence.

There is no transcendental ideal of the nation, and to the extent that such an ideal is present, it only serves to hide the reality of the nation form. This book, thus, is not about nationalism, but about the nation from a theoretical perspective.