This book reflects contemporary concerns about the inadequacies of secularism in the context of religious assertiveness in recent decades. It examines the ideologies of secularism and fundamentalism in the setting of the Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh religious traditions. In a new preface and two appendices, the author recapitulates earlier formulations on the subject and revisits the current debates. The book has been described as 'an invitation to an enticing intellectual journey that reveals new landscapes' (Louis Dumont), acclaimed as a 'tour de force' (Rajni Kothari), 'a landmark intervention from the social sciences in public affairs' (Satish Saberwal), and a 'major contribution to scholarship and the delineation of the interrelationship of religion and politics' (Harold Gould).