Overview

Religion, Performances, and Democracy examines how religion has profoundly influenced the socio‑political and cultural landscape of South Asia, shaping identities, public and private spaces, and social relationships over centuries. This book delves into the intricate intersections of religion, politics, and performing arts across South Asia from the 1940s onwards—a pivotal era marking the transition from colonial subjugation to independence. It explores how religiosity, competitive devotionalism, and the warped notions of secularism have impacted democratic ideals and cultural idioms in postcolonial nation‑states. Through critical analysis, this volume examines how performing arts—both mainstream and alternative—have navigated these turbulent waters, occasionally challenging religious animosity yet remaining constrained by structural limitations. Drawing on themes of gender, communalism, and cultural politics, this book situates performances within broader discourses of power, identity, and resistance, offering a nuanced understanding of their role in shaping South Asian societies. This volume is ideal for students, researchers, and academics in performing arts, sociology, political science, religious studies, gender studies, and cultural studies. The book will also appeal to anyone interested in South Asian history, post‑colonial studies, and the dynamic relationship between art and ideology.

Full Product Details

Author:   Manujendra Kundu
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.453kg
ISBN:  

9781032677163

ISBN 10:   1032677163
Pages:   270
Publication Date:   27 May 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

About the Authors Acknowledgements: A Pilgrimage to Atheistic Piety Editorial Note Introduction: Religion and the Precarity of Performances for/in Democracy Manujendra Kundu Gendered Stages of Nepal: Invisibility, Patriarchy, and Recognition in Female Artists’ Struggles for Space Across Folk and Contemporary Theatre Monica Mottin Protest and Performance in and after Zia’s Islamisation David Mason Religious Fundamentalism, Democratic Practice, and Performance: The Bangladesh Story Meghna Guhathakurta Suniyam and Crucifixion in Aragalaya: Reframing Rituals, Reclaiming Democracy in Post-war Sri Lanka Saumya Liyanage Religion and Theatre in Modern India: Performing Democratic Futurity through Subversion and Care Rajdeep Konar ‘Folk’ and Its Staging: The Accentuation for Bourgeois Aesthetico-Pastiche Manujendra Kundu Index

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Author Information

Manujendra Kundu, the former Executive Officer of Natya Shodh Sansthan, Kolkata, is an author, editor, playwright, socio‑politico‑cultural critic, and former journalist.

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