Facing the Emergency DownDog – On the Political Appropriation of Yoga

Abstract

The present article is concerned with the political appropriation of yoga, whose global popularity has made it an increasingly attractive political tool of which the current Indian government makes frequent use. Since yoga’s popularity is closely connected to the mediation of yoga images, Narendra Modi’s Instagram posts surrounding events at the International Day of Yoga (IYD) of the years 2017-2019 lend themselves best for analysis. Based on Santiago Zabala’s notion of the ‘emergency of aesthetics’ and Georg Simmel’s thoughts on style, the analysis shows how the adoption of a globally circulating visual discourse on yoga facilitates the current Indian government with a means to stylize itself as benevolent, balanced and peaceful. The image thus created helps to conceal the mismanagement with regard to the current pandemic. As the article shows, the image is used as a way to frame the perception of Hindutva politics, diverting attention away from the nationalist politics deployed.