South Asian Minority Groups Beware: Economic, Political and Social Reasons Driving a Shift to Right-Wing Ideology

This chapter provides a critical evaluation of the social, economic and political landscape in South Asia, from a minority group perspective. The chapter considers Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as belonging in South Asia. Since the year 2000 South Asian countries and islands have seen a stream of right-wing political leaders newly elected or re-elected. Typically, they have presided in an authoritarian, xenophobic manner, treating anyone or any non-national view with disdain, or worse as some form of threat. The isolationist schism of the latter is geopolitically problematical, such as South Asian leaders tend to be aggressive towards anything not originating from their country. Right-wing ideology tends to be based upon one-nation nationalism and exclusionary of anything foreign. As such, right-wing ideology represents an economic, social and political danger to a South Asian country’s diaspora and minority population. The effect of right-wing ideology is fragmented and quite complex. When right-wing party politics interacts with mainstream capitalism, decision-making power relationships of an authoritarian, nationalist, xenophobic persuasion tend to form. The development trajectory of the socio-cultural landscape in South Asian countries acts to persecute minority religions due to right-wing ideology. Similarly ethno-nationalism has often developed to exclude minority groups, by way of legislation and social policies which are discriminatory in their effect. There has been a rise in a form of Eugenics-based nationalism in South Asian countries, based upon a misappropriation of scientific discourse. Capitalist ethno-nationalism right-wing ideology twists scientific learning to politically justify societal hostility against minority groups living in some South Asian countries. Socio-cultural and ethno-national processes are also used by the dominant institutions reinforced by capitalism in South Asian countries, to promote and sustain cultural orthodoxy. Capitalist interests support agenda setting and indoctrination of cultural orthodoxy, by South Asian country’s state-approved and/or -owned newspaper, radio and television media outlets. Control of the media is a very powerful tool employed by capitalism to disseminate nationalist propaganda. A political message that the only rational choice to rid South Asian societies of their ills, for example COVID-19, is support of right-wing ideology.