Rhetorics of Counternationalism: The Limitations of Digital Anti‐Hindutva in Combating Right‐Wing Extremism

ABSTRACT How are online discourses in subissues within counternationalist movements constructed? This study better understands what comprises digital counternationalist dissent against right‐wing nationalism, finding that right‐wing nationalism's success can also be explained through limitations in counternationalist discourse. In this project, three coders analysed dissent against India's right‐wing nationalism, Hindutva, parsing anti‐Hindutva into different themes for comparative study with a focus on discourse's diagnosis, rhetorical strategies (motivation) and action calls (prognosis). We qualitatively analysed 596 subsampled tweets regarding Kashmir (national security and human rights) and Hindi imposition (manifestly nonreligious and cultural) and provide exploratory insights regarding popular culture politics (91.11% intercoder reliability). The findings show that most discourse is limited to diagnosis but differs across themes based on material and affective impact, geographic relevance, narrative fidelity and political contexts. Overall, this paper extends digital counternationalist and anti‐Hindutva comparative studies and has implications for strategizing digital dissent in right‐wing contexts.