India, Aug. 24 -- The politics of labelling is not uniquely Indian. Across time and space, governments and political movements have employed the tactic of naming their opponents that carry an immediate stigma. Once a person has been named an "enemy," "traitor," "extremist," or "anti-national," any logical argument becomes secondary. The label does the heavy lifting.

This is particularly visible in the present global resurgence of populist and authoritarian politics. From the United States to Europe and Latin America, political movements increasingly divide society between the supposedly "authentic" "people" and those portrayed as obstacles to the people's will. Political opponents, migrants, minorities, journalists, intellectuals and ci...