Everyday Communalism not only attempts to explore the anatomy of a Hindu-Muslim riot and its aftermath, but also examines the inner workings that enable deep-seated polarization between communities. Pai and Kumar show that frequent, low-intensity communal clashes pegged on routine everyday issues and resources help establish a permanent anti-Muslim prejudice among Hindus legitimizing majoritarian rule in the eyes of an increasingly polarized, intolerant, and entitledmajority community of Hindus. Uttar Pradesh's rising cultural aspirations, economic anxieties to move away from its traditionally backward status, a deep caste-marked agrarian crisis, and sharp inequalities and acute poverty further play into the making a new post-Ayodhya phase of Hindutvapolitics.