Nationalism and Secularism in South Asian Literature

T his special issue of Southeast Asian Review (SARE) focuses on two main concerns arising from the historical context of South Asia: ‘nationalism’ and ‘secularism,’ both of which have continued to influence South Asia’s literary trajectory for decades. Therefore, these interconnected terms are the essential and indispensable entry points for academic interventions in South Asia. While the concept of a nation became more distinct following the French Revolution in the eighteenth century and garnered further impetus with the spread of European colonisation in the twentieth century (Habib 6), the evolution of nationalism in South Asia appears to be one of the most prominent as well as intensive aspects of colonial and postcolonial phases (Sabhlok 25). The impact of colonisation on the political identities of South Asia triggered forces of unification in the communities of South Asia (Habib 5), fostering the notion of a nation as a unified counter-entity to British political dominance. Nation and nationalism denoted a sense of cohesion and a means of unification through which colonised identities and hegemonized groups developed their politics of combating colonial power. Therefore, in the political context of South Asia, the emergence and development of nationalism cannot be comprehended through a monolithic or homogenous perspective but needs to be analysed as embedded in multifaceted and layered aims and notions. For the individuals and communities of South Asia, nationalism served as a unifying force, a point of cultural cohesion and political strength against which the ideological mechanisms of colonialism could be fought. However, nationalism in South Asia has also been marked by and culminated in conflicting principles of

Revolution in the eighteenth century and garnered further impetus with the spread of European colonisation in the twentieth century (Habib 6), the evolution of nationalism in South Asia appears to be one of the most prominent as well as intensive aspects of colonial and postcolonial phases (Sabhlok 25). The impact of colonisation on the political identities of South Asia triggered forces of unification in the communities of South Asia (Habib 5), fostering the notion of a nation as a unified counter-entity to British political dominance. Nation and nationalism denoted a sense of cohesion and a means of unification through which colonised identities and hegemonized groups developed their politics of combating colonial power. Therefore, in the political context of South Asia, the emergence and development of nationalism cannot be comprehended through a monolithic or homogenous perspective but needs to be analysed as embedded in multifaceted and layered aims and notions. For the individuals and communities of South Asia, nationalism served as a unifying force, a point of cultural cohesion and political strength against which the ideological mechanisms of colonialism could be fought. However, nationalism in South Asia has also been marked by and culminated in conflicting principles of SARE, Vol. 60, Issue 1 | 2023 2 | Langah & Karmakar ethnicity, religion, and language (Sabhlok 26) that eventually determined the rise of multiple subsets of nationalist movements in post-colonial South Asia.
The political scenario in the post-independence era in the countries of South Asia witnessed the rise of ethnonationalism and micronationalism in varied ways in the face of the demands of singular nation-state-centred nationalism. Upreti (542) studies nationalism in South Asia as both broad-based and narrow-based, and Korom and Magnusson (8) define nationalism in the subcontinent as a 'pluralist phenomenon.' This is because, on the one hand, certain symbolic practises have been used to reinforce nationalism in countries like India and Pakistan (e.g., the establishment of All India Radio and celebration of Independence and Republic Days in India), and on the other, certain ethnic symbols based on language, religion, and kinship have been used to propagate the discourse of ethnonationalism as a subset/counterforce to the state-dictated nationalism. This oscillation between ethnic and national identities, the politics of minority and majority, and cultural assimilation/bifurcation marks the political map of South Asia. The tussle between the state defining the nation versus the nation defining the state and the self-versus the dissenting other problematizes the intensive and conflictual terrain of nationalism, impacting the construction of citizenship as a volatile component in the geopolitics of South Asia.
The political situations governing the growth of ethno-nationalism and its dissemination, however, turned out to be more intriguing in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India, where religion and ethnicity started the newly created political agendas of nationalism. Some It is noteworthy to point out that the contemporary concept of nation and nationalism serves as a fundamental catalyst for social discord and internal divisions within sovereign nations. In current discourse, there is a tendency to equate the concept of a nation with that of a sovereign territory, race, caste, tribe, or any other societal entity that surpasses the scale of a family unit. The aforementioned conceptualization of a nation has the potential to foster a fallacious understanding of the concept (Biswas 10). Nation-building in South Asia that demanded conformity from diverse ethnic and religious communities was thus often involved Mallika Shakya's observation on the subaltern poetic voices becomes significant here, as she states that "we must not confuse nationalist cosmopolitan talk with (de)nationalized regional solidarity" (165) to be able to take an inclusive approach primarily towards those who have been minoritized. The two important issues that she highlights become elemental for this issue.
In the first place, 'is there a way of being South Asian without flaunting or having to flaunt one's nationality and its relative diplomatic (and muscular) prowess? (165)

Synopsis of this Special Issue
Such convoluted contexts and identities belonging to South Asia raise the question of how well literature has represented these identities. Literature provides the prospects of reconnecting and resisting the identity clashes that have become far more intricate within the ethnic, racial, and linguistic realms. The crimes of sexual violence committed in the name of political war should therefore also be observed as reminders of redefining nationalism and reframing identities beyond religious and nationalistic boundaries. For example, the intersection between sexual violence, caste system, and nationalism, as discussed in one of the papers, focused on the experience of a Bihari woman, indicating that nationalism can take an extreme turn by instigating a sense of inclusiveness and exclusiveness, further sharpening the layers of marginality and political borders within South Asia. The overarching interest of all the contributors to this issue is first and foremost in re-theorising nationalism and secularism within the South Asian context through unconventional approaches. Secondly, to explore the subcategories of nationalism; this may include but is not limited to ethnoreligious, ethnolinguistic, culinary, and spiritual nationalism intersecting with the class and caste system (untouchability), sense of community, and the process of othering, which has not ended with the process of colonisation. The papers problematize the crises emerging from the political and historical contexts of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. This Realizing that these theoretical discussions may be complemented by creative approaches towards the thematic focus of this issue, we have also included two poetry translation samples by two emerging translators, Yasir Sarmad and Akhter Mirza. Yasir has focused on Faiz Ahmed Faiz's (1911Faiz's ( -1984  This poem is a thought-provoking creative response to the mystery of "missing persons" belonging to Pakistan and the unresolved political dilemmas within a so-called independent nation; the poem voices the people and families who face the surveillance of intelligence. The issue also includes Deblina Rout's review of The City Speaks: Urban Spaces in Indian Literature, thereby adding discussions on nationalism and secularism in the context of urban studies in India.
In brief, this issue deals with contemporary resistance literature in South Asia while also exploring the ways in which literature has critically commented on the political violence and trauma in these nations and highlighting the failure of nationalism and secularism in general. This focus may not be exhaustive but is not a limitation of this issue; it is a step forward as we endure our journey in the form of other academic projects that can continue to address this diverse, convoluted, and problematic political and historical ambience of South Asia.