# Hindutva’s durable hegemony can be countered only by federalism: Stanford professor 2026-08-19T23:21:58+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Thomas Blom Hansen, the Reliance-Dhirubhai Ambani Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University, has said that Hindutva has become an almost hegemonic frame for talking about the nation. In an interview with Frontline, he argued that while the BJP may lose political power, the RSS's cultural-nationalist work of organising 'Hindu society' will continue. He said the only durable counter-hegemony is federalism. Hansen observed that RSS shakhas remain the primary recruitment grounds, building deep emotional bonds among men around basic truisms: that Hindus have been oppressed and must reclaim pride and manliness, and that they must be vigilant against threats. He said Hindutva is renegotiating caste rather than overcoming it, noting that an assertive OBC like Modi can rise high in politics, but the RSS was the key variable in his ascent. On the question of controlling women's bodies through campaigns like love jihad and anti-conversion laws, Hansen said endogamy remains a core principle of how social life and morality are organised in India. He called the defence of women's bodies the 'main border' that Hindutva is policing. Hansen founded and directed Stanford's Center for South Asia from 2010 to 2017. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Hansen's argument that Hindutva's hegemony is sustained by everyday cultural practice, not just electoral victory, explains why the RSS has deepened its grassroots network even when the BJP was out of power for a decade after 2004. The key question for Indian democracy is whether federalism, as Hansen suggests, can provide a counter-hegemonic force that operates at the level of states and local cultures, rather than a national alternative to the BJP. Watch for how state-level opposition coalitions frame their pitch in the 2026 assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where regional identity has historically checked Hindutva's reach. ## Coverage - frontline.thehindu.com The interview presents Hansen's academic views without editorial framing, the outlet simply publishes the scholar's analysis. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: federalism, Hindutva, Narendra Modi, RSS, Stanford University, Thomas Blom Hansen Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/hindutvas-durable-hegemony-can-be-countered-only-by-federalism-stanford-professor/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/hindutvas-durable-hegemony-can-be-countered-only-by-federalism-stanford-professor/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/