This paper explores the political thought during the 1920s of Lala Lajpat Rai (1865–1928), a prominent anti-colonial nationalist. It outlines the historical context under which a secular politics became vital for Rai, and elaborates the intricate internal texture of his complex, often fluid vision of secularism. The second half of the paper explores the theoretical implications of Rai’s dynamic position. It illustrates how Lajpat Rai simultaneously articulated both a Hindu communal politics and a vision of secularism. By so doing, this paper challenges the long-drawn strict dichotomy between Hindu politics or Hindu ‘communalism’ and Indian secularism. Yet, the paper also pushes back against revisionist scholarship which, in challenging assumptions of strict mutual exclusivity between Indian secularism and Hindu communalism, has tended to overlook and undermine meaningful distinctions that still exist between these categories. This paper insists on the need to retain and respect the analytical distinctions between the two categories, even while recognising that they do not always exist in relation to each other as a strict dichotomy. Unearthing a hitherto-hidden Indian secularism articulated by this ‘Hindu communal’ politician, the paper will briefly explore the ways in which Rai’s complex position overlaps with, and is distinct from, Western variants of secularism, India’s constitutional secularism, and the Gandhian-Nehruvian vision, the latter of which became hegemonic till the 1970s. The paper ends by, very briefly, comparing Lajpat Rai’s position with Hindutva nationalism – a major influence on the contemporary Hindu right – and by reflecting on the relationship between the Hindu right and secularism.

Renato Zero rappresenta un mito contemporaneo in quanto nell'artista, molte persone vivono un'esperienza di senso, di comunità e di sacro. Il mito è una dimensione sacrale, con una forte valenza sia religiosa, sia sociale. L'arte musicale di Renato Zero offre l'accesso ad un mondo di speranza e di valori (amore, amicizia, solidarietà, coraggio, fede), un mondo che reincanta e unisce chi si stringe intorno a lui: i suoi fan, detti sorcini o zerofolli. Il fandom zerofolle costituisce una comunità reale e on line, in quanto il web appare centrale nella costruzione di un'identità sorcina; una comunità nella quale si condivide una cultura zeroista. Il legame tra Zero e i sorcini è interpretato alla luce della teoria del carisma di Weber. Infine, il punto d'appoggio per una concezione laica di sacro, in cui sacro consiste in un'esperienza di senso, è fornito dalla sociologia della religione di Durkheim. / In the actual society there are different shapes of sacred, and the myth is one of this forms. Myth has more means, and celebrity is a part of this means. Especially, the religion of celebrity is an important social phenomenon, and d our analysis?object is a star: the singer Renato Zero. Around the star there is a fandom, interesting social movement, in which people of fan build sense of belonging and identity. The fan club represents a form of fandom and is a passion community, with her order, space, communication, rite or ceremony, and mythology. The name of Zero?s fandom is sorcini o zerofolli; they are a sort of charismatic aristocracy around own prophet; in fact, the weberian theory of charisma represents a principal interpretation of this fandom (perhaps of fandom generally). Sorcini has worths and a collective conscience: in this case we found our interpretation on Émile Durkheim sociology and, in particular, on theory of rite as celebration on community. Sorcini has a liturgy and sacred in the myth of Renato Zero, in fact, sorcini are different to simple fan, because sorcini mean an identity and sense of group or membership.