Christophe Jaffrelot (born 12 February 1964) is a French political scientist and
Indologist
Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies.
The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is o ...
specialising in
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
, particularly
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. He is a professor of South Asian politics and history the ''Centre d'études et de recherches internationales'' (CERI) at
Sciences Po
, motto_lang = fr
, mottoeng = Roots of the Future
, type = Public university, Public research university''Grande école''
, established =
, founder = Émile Boutmy
, a ...
(Paris), a professor of Indian Politics and Sociology at the King's India Institute (London), and a Research Director at the ''
Centre national de la recherche scientifique
The French National Centre for Scientific Research (french: link=no, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science
Basic research, also called pure research o ...
'' (CNRS).
Education
Christophe Jaffrelot is a graduate of the
''institut d’études politiques'' (Sciences Po) in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, the
''université de Paris-I Panthéon-Sorbonne'' and of the ''
Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales ( en, National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations), abbreviated as INALCO, is a French university specializing in the teaching of languages and cultures from the world. ...
'' (INALCO). He has a doctorate of political science from Sciences Po in 1991 and has received a post-doctoral
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...
degree.
[
]
Career and work
Jaffrelot works at the Centre for Studies in International Relations (CERI)-Sciences Po and has served as its Director from 2000 to 2008.
He is currently a senior research fellow at CNRS and a professor at Sciences Po. He is also a visiting professor at the India Institute,
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
, and has taught at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
,
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
,
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...
, the
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...
, and as a Global Scholar at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
.
[ Since 2008, he has been a non-resident fellow at the ]Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded in ...
.
Jaffrelot was awarded the CNRS Bronze Medal in 1993, has served as editor or editor-in-chief of several scholarly journals on politics and sociology, and is a Permanent Consultant at the Direction de la Prospective of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[ He also chairs the Scientific council of the six research centers of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and CNRS in Asia since 2007. Jaffrelot is the president of the Political Science section of the French National Committee for Scientific Research (CoNRS) since 2012.][Pakistan at the Crossroads Once Again]
Sciences Po, Paris
Jaffrelot's research is centred on South Asia, particularly India and Pakistan. His publications on India cover aspects of Indian nationalism and democracy, Hindu nationalism, caste mobilisation in politics and ethnic conflicts.[ Similarly, on Pakistan, his scholarship has focused on Pakistani nationalism, Islamic fundamentalism, Taliban and Kashmir militancy, politics, coups and its history as a rentier state in the context of global geopolitics.]
Pakistan at the Crossroads Once Again
Sciences Po, Paris His interest in India was kindled when he was still in school, through a philosophy teacher well-versed in Indian philosophy. He visited India when he was 20 and found the Indian society interesting in many different ways.[
]
He is the senior editor of the Sciences Po book series, ''Comparative Politics and International Relations'' published by C. Hurst & Co. He has been the editor-in-chief of ''Critique Internationale'' and serves on the editorial boards of ''Nations and Nationalism'' and ''International Political Sociology''. He is also on the editorial board of ''The Online Encyclopaedia of Mass Violence''.[
He often writes columns for the '']Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'' and ''The Caravan
''The Caravan'' is an Indian English-language, long-form narrative journalism magazine covering politics and culture.
History
In 1940, Vishwa Nath launched ''Caravan'' as the first magazine from the Delhi Press; it went on to establish its ...
'', and received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
He was awarded the Brienne Prize for geopolitics by the Defense Ministry of France for his book ''Le Syndrome Pakistanais''.
Publications
; On India
* ''Les Nationalistes hindous'' (in French), Presses de Sciences Po, Paris, 1993
* ''The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian politics'', London: C. Hurst & Co. and Penguin India
Penguins (order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...
, 1996, ; also published as ''Hindu Nationalism in India'' by Columbia University Press
Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...
, 1998.
* ''L'Inde contemporaine de 1950 à nos jours'' (in French), direction, Fayard, Paris, 1996, rééd. 1997, 2006
* ''La Démocratie en Inde. Religion, caste et politique'' (in French), Fayard, Paris, 1998
* ''Dr Ambedkar - Leader intouchable et père de la Constitution indienne'' (in French), Sciences Po 2000,
* ''The BJP and the Compulsions of Politics in India'', co-edited with Thomas Blom Hansen
Thomas Blom Hansen (born 22 January 1958 in Frederiksvaerk) is a Danish anthropologist and leading contemporary commentator on religious and political violence in India.
Background
Hansen has a BA in Sociology and an MA in political theory from ...
, Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
India, 2000, .
* ''Tribus et basses castes. Résistance et autonomie dans la société indienne'' (in French), co-direction avec Marine Carrin, École des hautes études en sciences sociales
The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (french: École des hautes études en sciences sociales; EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The ...
, Paris, 2003
* ''India's Silent Revolution. The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India'', Columbia University Press
Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...
, C. Hurst & Co. and New Delhi: Permanent Black, 2003.
* ''Ambedkar and Untouchability. Analysing and Fighting Caste'', New Delhi: Permanent Black, C. Hurst & Co. and Columbia University Press
Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...
, 2004
* ''Sangh Parivar: A Reader'' (edited), Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2005, .
* ''Inde : la démocratie par la caste. Histoire d'une mutation socio-politique (1885–2005)'' (in French), Fayard, Paris, 2005,
* ''Hindu Nationalism: A Reader'' (edited), Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large.
The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financial su ...
, 2007, .
* ''Patterns of Middle Class Consumption in India and China'', co-edited with Peter van der Veer, SAGE Publications
SAGE Publishing, formerly SAGE Publications, is an American independent publishing company founded in 1965 in New York by Sara Miller McCune and now based in Newbury Park, California.
It publishes more than 1,000 journals, more than 800 books ...
, 2008, .
* ''India since 1950: Society, Politics, Economy and Culture'' (edited), New Delhi: Yatra Books, 2011.
* ''Muslims in Indian Cities: Trajectories of Marginalisation'', co-edited with Laurent Gayer, C. Hurst & Co., 2012, .
* ''Rise of the Plebeians? The Changing Face of the Indian Legislative Assemblies'', co-edited with Sanjay Kumar, Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...
, 2009, .
* ''Religion, Caste, and Politics in India'', C. Hurst & Co., 2011, .
* ''Saffron Modernity in India: Narendra Modi and his Experiment with Gujarat'', C. Hurst & Co., 2015, .
* ''Majoritarian State: How Hindu Nationalism is Changing India'', co-edited with Angana P. Chatterji and Thomas Blom Hansen
Thomas Blom Hansen (born 22 January 1958 in Frederiksvaerk) is a Danish anthropologist and leading contemporary commentator on religious and political violence in India.
Background
Hansen has a BA in Sociology and an MA in political theory from ...
, C. Hurst & Co., 2019,
* ''Business and Politics in India'', eds. Atul Kohli, Kanta Murali and Christophe Jaffrelot (Oxford University Press, 2019).
* ''India's First Dictatorship: The Emergency, 1975-1977'', co-authored with Pratinav Anil (C. Hurst & Co., December 2020).
* ''Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy'', Christophe Jaffrelot (Princeton University Press, August 2021).
; On Pakistan
* ''Le Pakistan'' (in French), direction, Fayard
Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre.
In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayard ...
, Paris, 2000
* ''Le Pakistan, carrefour de tensions régionales'' (in French), direction, Complexe, Bruxelles, 1999, rééd. 2002
* ''Pakistan. Nationalism without a Nation?'', direction, New Delhi: Manohar Manohar is a surname and given name. Notable people with the name include:
;given name
* Manohar Ajgaonkar, Indian politician
* Manohar Das, 17th century Indian Hindu painter
* Manohar Joshi, politician
* Manohar Lal Chibber, soldier
* Manohar L ...
, London: Centre de sciences humaines and New York: Zed Books
Zed Books is an independent non-fiction publishing company based in London, UK. It was founded in 1977 under the name Zed Press by Roger van Zwanenberg.
Zed publishes books for an international audience of both general and academic readers, co ...
, 2002, rééd. 2004, .
* ''A History of Pakistan and Its Origins'', direction, London: Anthem Press, 2004, .
* ''Le Syndrome Pakistanais'' (in French), 2013,
* ''The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience'', C. Hurst & Co., 2015, .
* ''Pakistan at the Crossroads: Domestic Dynamics and External Pressures'' (edited), Columbia University Press, 2016.
; On South Asia
* ''Armed Militias of South Asia: Fundamentalists, Maoists and Separatists'', co-edited with Laurent Gayer, C. Hurst & Co., 2009, .
; Other topics
* ''Démocraties d'ailleurs. Démocraties et démocratisations hors d'Occident'', direction, Karthala, Paris, 2000
* ''Revisiting Nationalism. Theories and Processes'', co-edited with Alain Dieckhoff, C. Hurst & Co., 2005
* ''Emerging States: The Wellspring of a New World Order'' (edited), C. Hurst & Co., 2009, .
Reception
The book ''Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics'', based on his doctorate research, is considered Jaffrelot's magnum opus. Walter Andersen, a scholar who has studied the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family" ...
(RSS), said that "for the expert on South Asia, this book is an absolute must." Craig Baxter, another author, said that it was required for anyone with an interest in South Asia.[
] Stacey Burlet states that the book combines "an abundance of information" with "lucid analysis." Richard White states that the book is "formidably well researched and explores all the main arguments and themes relating to the subject." White adds that Jaffrelot – based on the research and understanding of Indian society and politics – predicted that the Hindu nationalist ideology-based Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
will not be able to win general elections and form the central government, a prediction that proved to be incorrect to Jaffrelot's misfortune.
According to Bhagwan Josh, Jaffrelot's ''The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics'' is based on extensive fieldwork and effort making it an "immensely rewarding read", but makes a number of "untenable assumptions" regarding the nature of Indian culture, "Hindu consciousness/identity", and the nature of early Hindu nationalism within the Indian National Congress. According to T. V. Sathyamurthy, Jaffrelot's scholarship on Hindu nationalism is an important contribution with empirical depth and field research in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
and the interviews of RSS members.[ He states that Jaffrelot's insights include '']Hindutva
Hindutva () is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The term was formulated as a political ideology by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the ...
'' as a form of nationalism that is based on a "cultural criteria rather than on racial theory" and a view of "politics based on ethnic nationalism". Along with this and numerous other remarkable insights, Jaffrelot advocates a rubric of "Stigmatising and Emulating Threatening Others" strategy, which Satyamurthy finds to be flawed, "not only childish" but also "psychologically reductionist and politically nonsensical" in the context of India.
According to Asad Abbasi of London School of Economics, Jaffrelot's book ''The Pakistan Paradox'' is a necessary text for every student interested in Pakistan. However, states Abbasi, the book is "littered with spelling mistakes, repetition, tense conflicts and other silly errors — on page 130, Mumtaz Bhutto is cousin of ZA Bhutto, but by page 134 Mumtaz becomes Benazir’s cousin". According to Tania Patel, Jaffrelot provides "compelling insights for understanding the nuances of the contestations and continuities in Pakistan’s state and society" and elaborates "the country’s chronic instability in three contradictions whose roots lie in tensions apparent since the 1940s".
References
External links
Christophe Jaffrelot
sur le site du CERI, with his biography and bibliography
online conference, April 2006
regarding the motivations of the 2008 Mumbai attacks
Christophe Jaffrelot columns
at the Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
Christophe Jaffrelot columns
at The Caravan
''The Caravan'' is an Indian English-language, long-form narrative journalism magazine covering politics and culture.
History
In 1940, Vishwa Nath launched ''Caravan'' as the first magazine from the Delhi Press; it went on to establish its ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaffrelot, Christophe
French political scientists
Living people
Writers about Hindu nationalism
French scholars of Pakistan studies
French male non-fiction writers
1964 births
Research directors of the French National Centre for Scientific Research