The Colours of Violence

Drawing connections between history, individual development, group psychology and the cultures of specific communities, The Colours of Violence paints richly textured portraits of a range of subjects involved in riots, and focuses on not just the survivors but also the agents of violence. With insight and unsparing self-reflection, Kakar shows how Hindu and Muslim identities are formed by rumour, religion and bigotry, and how they are fuelled by nostalgic histories and the anxieties and uncertainties produced by the process of modernization.