The Language of Violence: Politics of Hate and Identity in the ‘Hindu’ Nation

Abstract

Hate against religious minorities is not merely an expression of hostility but also a
central element within the social, political, and religious makeup of India. Drawing on Freud’s
idea of repression and Lacan’s concept of jouissance, this research focuses on the role of hate
in the formation of the Hindu nationalist identity, and the simultaneous othering of minorities.
By studying the carefully coded language of exclusion in political and legal discourse, media
reporting, and everyday microaggressions on social media, this paper explores how hate
becomes a means of social control as well as a site of unconscious desire and pleasure. Further,
the paper investigates how hatred leads to the construction of an “enemy within”, shaping
collective angst and justifying violence in the name of cultural purity and national security. The
examination of the affective and unconscious dynamics of majoritarian hate reveals how
exclusion is not just a political strategy but also a deeply psychosocial phenomenon that evokes
pleasure for the dominant group. Ultimately, the paper investigates how the language of hate
and subsequent violence erodes democratic principles, reinstates social hierarchies and creates
ideological polarization in contemporary India.