Intertextuality as method in a time of technologised misinformation: the case of Hindutva fascism in India

The spread of hateful disinformation and the domestication of new technologies have been implicated in off-screen discrimination, lynch mobs, mass shootings and the rise of far right governments worldwide. Yet many have been reluctant to name these entrenched communicative strategies of disinformation and dehumanisation as fascist, particularly when discussing non-western contexts. This raises questions about how the narratives, semiotics and aesthetics of these media operate. In this paper, I discuss the comparative visual research methods which can be used to support a plausible case about the role of texts such as WhatsApp messages, posters, films, documentaries, websites, star endorsements and political advertising in the politics of fascism in India. Most particularly, I explore the methodological promises of the notion of “intertextuality”. In doing so, I use examples from two decades of research on visual cultures of Hindutva fascism in India, paying attention to the colour saffron, the furore around an Indian actress’ participation in the Netflix series Quantico, and the use fascist fantasy, myth and disinformation in memes and profile pictures. Using sociological and historical evidence as critical media education, the conclusion sums up the best uses of audiovisual analytic methods in the fight to recognise fascist tropes originating outside Europe and North America.