A population out of control? Myths about Muslim fertility in contemporary India
Jeffery, P.; Jeffery, R.
World Development Oxford 30(10): 1805-1822
2002
DOI: 10.1016/s0305-750x(02)00066-9Document Number: 312071
This paper describes and criticizes myths about the scale and causes of fertility differentials between Hindus and Muslims in India. These ideas, associated with Hindu nationalist organizations, also have a more general common-sense quality. The paper challenges these views by examining how demographers have addressed Hindu-Muslim fertility differences, considering the impact of regional differences, variations in socioeconomic position, and occupation. We further suggest that these elaborate statistical analyses on large-scale data sets are not readily sensitive to local-level variations. Our micro-level research findings are used to illuminate both Hindu Right political rhetoric and the limitations of macro-level demographic analyses.
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