Summary of this article
Increasingly, the tension is not just between religion and state, but between competing visions of nationalism, identity, and constitutional values.
As secularism returns to the centre of public debate, Outlook’s 2022 issue revisits its shifting meanings and political uses
From electoral communalism to global right-wing trends, the issue mapped the pressures reshaping secular ideals
As debates around secularism resurface in India’s political and public life, whether through electoral rhetoric, legislative moves, or everyday contestations, the question of what secularism means in practice remains far from settled. Increasingly, the tension is not just between religion and state, but between competing visions of nationalism, identity, and constitutional values. At this moment, secularism is not merely a principle under strain, it is an idea being reinterpreted, contested, and, in some cases, redefined.
These questions formed the core of Outlook’s November 21, 2022 issue, which took up the “Secularism Question” through a wide-ranging set of stories and columns. Published at a time when religious identity was becoming ever more central to political mobilisation, the issue examined not just the erosion of secular ideals, but also their historical evolution, global context, and uncertain future.
The cover story, Does Secularism Have A Place In Ritualistic India?, set the tone by interrogating the uneasy coexistence of a deeply religious society and a constitutionally secular state. It argued that secularism today is caught between competing pressures—from a polity that increasingly draws on religious identity, and a public sphere where faith remains deeply embedded in everyday life.
This tension was further explored in Between Competitive Communalism And Suitable Secularism: Where India Stands Today, which examined how secularism has often been shaped—and distorted—by electoral politics. The piece suggested that rather than acting as a neutral principle, secularism has frequently been refracted through the logic of competitive communalism.
Offering a longer historical lens, A Walk Through The Several Decades Of Indian Secularism traced the evolution of the idea from its constitutional origins to its contemporary critiques. It mapped how secularism has moved through phases, variously described as “pseudo” or “sickular”, reflecting changing political narratives and ideological battles.
The issue also widened its scope beyond India. In What Does Secularism Mean Around The World?, the concept was placed in a global context, showing how different societies interpret the relationship between religion and state in distinct ways, ranging from strict separation to more accommodationist models.
The global dimension was further deepened in The Rising Tide Of The Right Worldwide, which examined the resurgence of right-wing politics across countries. It suggested that the pressures on secularism in India are part of a broader international trend, where majoritarian politics and identity-based mobilisation are gaining ground.
Back home, Power Politics: A Test Of Indian Secularism highlighted how political expediency has often shaped the application of secular principles. It argued that across parties, secularism has at times been subordinated to the imperatives of electoral gain.
A more critical perspective emerged in Out Of Sync: Why Secularism Is A Colossal Failure In India, which contended that the idea of secularism itself may be misaligned with social realities. The essay questioned whether the concept, as practised, has failed to resonate with public ethos.
The issue also included sharply contrasting viewpoints. In Secularism Under Siege: Several Parts Of Indian Subcontinent Witness Demise Of Pluralism, the argument was that the erosion of secular values has had wider implications for democracy and pluralism across the region. Meanwhile, Why Hindutva Is Hitting Many Roadblocks For BJP In The Northeast showed how regional complexities can challenge majoritarian political projects, underscoring the limits of a uniform ideological approach.
The specific case of Jammu and Kashmir was examined in The History Of Kashmiri Secularism Is Vitiated Today, which explored how the region’s distinct political history complicates conventional understandings of secularism, particularly in the context of changing constitutional arrangements.
