Jason Stanley on How Fascism Works in India – Himal Virtual Cover, July 2025

What has Donald Trump’s assault on democracy in the United States borrowed from Narendra Modi’s India? How exactly does the Hindu Right, led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, mirror the tactics and history of the European fascists that it explicitly drew inspiration from? Where does India, unique as it is, fit into the trends of rising global fascism, and what are the signatures of fascist India?

Jason Stanley, a renowned scholar of fascism in its many forms across the globe – and recently in the news for sounding the alarm on American fascism and quitting the United States – draws on his deep expertise to deliver a singular lesson on how fascism works in India. And, on India just as on the United States, he delivers a dire warning: “The concern that many of us have about what is happening in India today is that the basis is being laid for anything from ethnic cleansing to genocide.”

Himal’s virtual cover for July 2025 presents a landmark examination of India’s fascist turn under Narendra Modi and the Hindu Right. Stanley’s analysis is complemented by writing from and conversations with Anand Teltumbde, Anant Patwardhan, Harsh Mander and more unpacking how India has arrived at this juncture, all drawn from Himal’s extensive archives.