Writing The ‘Deep Story’: A Comparative Case Study Of The Rise Of Nationalist Extremism In The United States And India
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Hindutva##common.commaListSeparator## White Christian Nationalism##common.commaListSeparator## India##common.commaListSeparator## United States##common.commaListSeparator## authoritarianism##common.commaListSeparator## populism##article.abstract##
This paper examines the global resurgence of far-right nationalist extremism, focusing on the rise of authoritarianism in the United States and India. Based on the theoretical framework of White Christian nationalism developed by Gorski and Perry (2022), which builds on Hochschild’s concept of ‘deep story’ (2016), the present analysis demonstrates how aspiring authoritarians strategically mobilize exclusionary ideologies to consolidate power. The ‘deep story’ of White Christian nationalism in the United States under Donald Trump can (1) provide valuable insight into the rise of Hindutva in Modi's India and (2) shed light on the transnational nature of contemporary far-right nationalist ideologies. Central to the analysis is the identification of the building blocks of the deep story: religiousness without religiosity as a marker of ethno-traditional group boundaries; the deification of political figures; nostalgia for a mythical past greatness; and the justification of violence and exclusion as necessary for national preservation. These building blocks construct a narrative of grievance and existential threat in which the dominant group perceives loss of status and projects anxieties onto foreigners and foreignness. Ultimately, the deep story of nationalist extremism functions to secure the consent of the dominant group for the acceptance of authoritarian rule.
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