Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera, scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the authors
OK
THE BATTLE OF BELONGING (HB)
Save Extra with 3 offers
10 days Replacement
| Replacement Reason | Replacement Period | Replacement Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Damage, Defective, Wrong and Missing Item | 10 days from delivery | Replacement |
Replacement Instructions
Read full returns policy
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length462 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAleph Book Company
- Publication date31 October 2020
- Dimensions22.86 x 15.24 x 1.27 cm
- ISBN-108194735386
- ISBN-13978-8194735380
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in IndiaHardcoverFREE Delivery by AmazonGet it by Monday, June 22
A Wonderland of Words: Around the Word in 101 EssaysHardcover41% offLimited time dealFREE Delivery by AmazonGet it by Monday, June 22
India: From Midnight To The Millennium And BeyondPaperbackFREE Delivery by AmazonGet it by Monday, June 22
Our Living Constitution: A Concise Introduction & CommentaryHardcover32% offLimited time dealFREE Delivery by AmazonGet it by Monday, June 22
From the Publisher
Product description
Review
‘Shashi Tharoor’s The Battle of Belonging is a passionate defence of civic nationalism. [It] is many books rolled into one...full of erudition interspersed with personal anecdotes. You find the raconteur and the public intellectual…vying with each other to catch the reader’s attention. But in the final analysis the book hangs together and the message is clear.’ -The Hindu
‘The Battle of Belonging retraces the evolution of the Indian nationalism and analyses the present-day churn on the topic. The book, well researched and scholarly, provides a historical background of the genesis of the idea of nationalism in a western construct, before going on to focus on the essential questions related to Indian nationalism.’ –The Week
‘Anyone who has…read through the 400-plus pages of Shashi Tharoor’s The Battle Of Belonging will come away staggered by the extraordinary scholarship…well integrated into the argument’- Open
‘The range of scholarship that Tharoor offers and his delineations of key ideas are superbly impressive’- Financial Express
‘Shashi Tharoor’s views on India today and the idea of nationalism.’- The Tribune
‘Shashi Tharoor’s new book provides an analytical overview of patriotism to readers grappling with swiftly changing definitions of nationalism.’-Hindu Business Line
‘He brings in a touch of logic and gets it backed by an array of authorities and authors he quotes from.’- New Indian Express
‘... (The Battle of Belonging) remains a must-read for the sheer brilliance of Tharoor as a writer and also because of the personal stories and anecdotes he has up his sleeve.’- Daily Guardian
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Aleph Book Company
- Publication date : 31 October 2020
- Language : English
- Print length : 462 pages
- ISBN-10 : 8194735386
- ISBN-13 : 978-8194735380
- Item Weight : 643 g
- Dimensions : 22.86 x 15.24 x 1.27 cm
- Country of Origin : India
- Importer : Rupa Pub, 7/16 Ansari Road-110002
- Packer : Rupa Pub, 7/16 Ansari Road-110002
- Generic Name : Book
- Best Sellers Rank: #97,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #81 in Political Structure & Processes
- #939 in Indian History (Books)
- #37,402 in Literature & Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Customer reviews
Customers say
Generated from the text of customer reviewsSelect to learn more
Reviews with images
Diverse and complex yet easily digestible.
Top reviews from India
- 5 out of 5 stars
The Battle for India's Soul is a real thing
Reviewed in India on 21 September 2022I initially procured this book to find out for myself what the whole hype around Tharoor the intellectual is all about. Not only was I pleasantly surprised, but now I think he genuinely has a deep love for the country, and even more importantly, a vision for what it should be (which in fact it has been too, way before the chaos of the past few decades). And let's stop confusing the terms Anglophile and Elitist. Just because you and I were educated in English-medium schools and perhaps studied abroad, or even lived or were born abroad, does not automatically make us Elitist (even if we are arguably elite) - and certainly does not mean that our patriotism is any lesser than that of the salt of the earth kind of people. It takes all kinds of people to fill the world, and we need each other's perspectives to illuminate and temper our own. And we certainly need Tharoor's. This book is incredibly well-researched and impeccably referenced. The bibliography itself is worth the price of the book. And it's about the events of the here and now, of a history that's occurring before our very eyes. Yes, a battle is afoot. There's no other way of describing it. Why do we live in a country today where so many of us have to prove that we are patriots? And why the patriotism of others, ideologically rooted in which side you very well know, is assumed without question and reproach? Why do we increasingly come across the feeling that there can be only one idea of India, whereas this ancient civilisation housed in a new country (seventy five years for a country is still very, very young) has always been identified as that place where ideas jostled against one another like passengers on the Virar fast, but still travelling together to the same destination? There are many important questions asked in this book, and very many humane, illuminating observations shared by the author. In these times of turbulence, if you are wondering just what in the world is going in with India, this book needs to be read. Oh also - this is not a piece of Congress propaganda. Tharoor as a writer is very neutral, even though is never disingenuous - he makes a mention of his loyalty to the Congress but also explains why. Tharoor has a wonderful mind, a good heart and his famous mastery of language is at service here. Do read! This book is about us!
6 people found this helpfulSending feedback…Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThank you. We'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
Masterful mind and heart
Reviewed in India on 16 September 2023A must read to get into the depth of what’s happening in our country and what we as responsible and patriotic citizens need to do to restore the ‘Unity in diversity’ we grew up taking for granted!
Shashi Tharoor mincing no words in giving a clarion call to protect our democracy and the spirit of nationhood!
Scholarly and yet so understandable and absolutely relatable!
Sending feedback…Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThank you. We'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 4 out of 5 stars
Indeed a magnum opus by Shashi Tharoor.
Reviewed in India on 19 November 2020Completing this book took me around 1 week, usually reading does not take me too long, this thoroughly researched book, what Tharoor called his "magnum opus", stand firmly on his claim. I had to revisit all the theories of nationalism, primarily, three broad approaches- primordial, perennial, and modernist before reading its first section. To my utter surprise, Tharoor has, indeed, entertained all the theoretical debate which I could imagine and even he has gone beyond it. He has conceptually separated all the forms of nationalism and argued that patriotism needs to be rescued from the shackles of ethnocultural nationalism.
Tharoor in his Magnum opus presented his case strongly, forcefully, and emphatically for civic nationalism twinned with patriotism, which would indeed, give every Indian their rightful honoured place in the twenty-first century and beyond. He also sought to balance the common good with individual rights and group rights so that individual freedom is not undermined in the name of cultural autonomy. He has also countered the Daniel A. Bell's work "The China Model" where Bell argued that authoritarian regime of China can be viable model of governance, or say, the alternative to Indian and Western liberal democracy.
This book is well updated, deals with current empirical reality, and furnishes normative critique of existing regime in India while completely exposing them from their roots - their ideologues and ideologies, social media bigotry, soft bigotry subtly perpetuated by leaders at the centre, and most importantly why does the masses are associating themselves with them, not only within territorial boundary of nation but beyond it - Diaspora nationalism.
Book has many things to offer and provides further works citation which is essential and updated. He speaks for the "New India" where no one gets lynched for the food you eat, marginalised for the faith you hold dear, criminalized for the person you love, or imprisoned for making use of fundamental rights guaranteed by our own Constitution. He called this book a paean to an India, not an elegy, and certainly not a dirge!
67 people found this helpfulSending feedback…Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThank you. We'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
Diverse and complex yet easily digestible.
Reviewed in India on 16 November 2023Original and reasonably priced, the book offers quality pages. It provides a thorough understanding of nationalism, guiding readers on avoiding blind loyalty in the modern era and delving into the essence of being Indian. A solid choice for a new read.






Original and reasonably priced, the book offers quality pages. It provides a thorough understanding of nationalism, guiding readers on avoiding blind loyalty in the modern era and delving into the essence of being Indian. A solid choice for a new read.
Sending feedback…Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThank you. We'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
beautifully written by Shashi Tharoor
Reviewed in India on 19 December 2022This book is very beautifully written by Shashi Tharoor. He is great writer. In present times we the people are battling for belonging. This book is looking through the present times politics of religion, cast and creed. Thanks to Shashi Tharoor for writing this beautiful book.
One person found this helpfulSending feedback…Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThank you. We'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
One of the best book that I have read so far.
Reviewed in India on 3 April 2023I ordered the hard cover and I love this book. This was the first book that I have read of Mr. Tharoor. I would love read more.


I ordered the hard cover and I love this book. This was the first book that I have read of Mr. Tharoor. I would love read more.
One person found this helpfulSending feedback…Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThank you. We'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 4 out of 5 stars
Even Tharoor Can't Shake His Biases!
Reviewed in India on 21 September 2021This book elaborates on an idea whose time has come.
Indians must debate what form of nationalism they want. And Shashi Tharoor lays out the choices before us clearly. Hence the four stars.
But why not five?
That's because, when discussing the Congress party, he gets defensive. He glibly glosses over its failings and structural faults that are clearly visible to an unbiased eye.
Why did he have to do that? Because he needed to point out the structural faults of the BJP in order to make his case. And he found that he was throwing stones from a glass house.
But, possessing great intellect and exposure to world affairs, he has great ability to counter evidence that's obvious to the meanest intellect.
Barring this trap that he could not but set for himself, the book is an excellent take off platform for a crucial debate.
8 people found this helpfulSending feedback…Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThank you. We'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
Brilliant. Masterful.
Reviewed in India on 15 April 2021The best book on the subject so far. Shashi Tharoor's masterful research and his grip on the topics is commendable. A must read for every one.
One person found this helpfulSending feedback…Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThank you. We'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again







