Globalization and the Increasing Intolerance of the Indian Middle Class.

This paper analyzes the potential relationship between globalization and religious intolerance. Drawing upon surveys, interviews and focus groups conducted in Hyderabad, India, I first argue that globalization is leading to increased levels of religious intolerance among India's educated middle and upper classes. I then investigate why globalization elicits this response and why the attitudes of the poor remain relatively unchanged. This paper is significant in both its theoretical and practical contributions. Theoretically, it bridges the subdisciplines of political economy, identity and ethnic conflict, expanding our knowledge of how local communities construct their identities in relation to one another, the state, and an ever-globalizing world. In terms of its practical application, this study contributes to debates on secular policy, community building and sustainable development. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]