Secularism is a tenet that is fundamental to Indian democracy and enshrined in the Constitution. However, its practice has been severely hampered in recent times largely due to the secular sectarianism pursued by secular, democratic and progressive political formations. This implies the tendency of specific secular political movements to act as if their agenda are exclusively important. Secular sectarianism has gradually polarized communities and advanced a woefully limited political imagination, leading to the proliferation of conflicts between various marginalized groups—Dalits, tribals, OBCs, Muslims, women and the Left. Secular Sectarianism: Limits of Subaltern Politics includes several accounts of such conflicts, opening up a new area of study for further conceptualization. This book emphasizes that citizenship in practice is expressed through the right to speak for others and not just for oneself. Progress can be made only by opening up dialogues within and across political communities. This is essential for India’s survival as a secular and democratic nation. Progressive politics needs to move towards affinity and an idea of shared spaces. Contents: Introduction: Prolegomenon to a Critical Theory of Secular Sectarianism Part I - Casting Sectarianism, Engendering Secularism Thirumal P. and Dickens Leonard Incommensurable Sacral–Secular Sectarianism? Rohith-Movement and the Emergence of the Inappropriable Suratha Kumar Malik Intra-Subaltern Conflict: Dalit–Tribal Conflict in Odisha Tarushikha Sarvesh Interrelations of Gender, Caste, Religion and State: Women's Centrality as Counter to Secular Sectarianism Part II - Limits of Minority-ism Samir Gandesha Ghar Wapsi or Reconversion? Afroz Alam Understanding the Analytics of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and Pasmanda Frame Mursed Alam and Seema Ahmed Resisting Minoritization: Postcolonial Muslim Politics and Indian Democracy Shadab Arab Rethinking Minority Politics in India Nathalene Reynolds The Forgotten of the Conflict in Indian Jammu and Kashmir: On the Exile of the Pandit Minority Part III - Left and Its Fragments Anindya Sekhar Purakayastha, Manas Dutta and Tirthankar Ghosh Governance as Practice and Politics as Intersectionality: Socializing Governance, Localizing Theories Dhritiman Chakrabarty What Is Left for Left in West Bengal? The New Left and the World of the Third Ajay Gudavarthy and Nissim Mannathukaren Afterword: Politics of Secular Sectarianism Index