Secularism and sectarianism in India and the West: what are the real lessons of American history?

Much of the Indian debate about secularism is built around what seem to be commonsense assumptions about India and the West. But a close look at the i mpact of Protestant Puritanism on the relationship between religion and pol itics in the United States suggests that these assumptions are mistaken. Fa r from having fundamentally different experiences, there are some striking similarities between India and the United States: similarities that draw at tention to potential long-term dangers for India.