Rethinking Religion in India

The Colonial Construction of Hinduism

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Ethnic Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book Rethinking Religion in India by , Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781135182786
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: December 24, 2009
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781135182786
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: December 24, 2009
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

This book critically assesses recent debates about the colonial construction of Hinduism. Increasingly scholars have come to realise that the dominant understanding of Indian culture and its traditions is unsatisfactory. According to the classical paradigm, Hindu traditions are conceptualized as features of a religion with distinct beliefs, doctrines, sacred laws and holy texts. Today, however, many academics consider this conception to be a colonial ‘construction’. This book focuses on the different versions, arguments and counter-arguments of the thesis that the Hindu religion is a construct of colonialism. Bringing together the different positions in the debate, it provides necessary historical data, arguments and conceptual tools to examine the argument. Organized in two parts, the first half of the book provides new analyses of historical and empirical data; the second presents some of the theoretical questions that have emerged from the debate on the construction of Hinduism. Where some of the contributors argue that Hinduism was created as a result of a western Christian notion of religion and the imperatives of British colonialism, others show that this religion already existed in pre-colonial India; and as an alternative to these standpoints, other writers argue that Hinduism only exists in the European experience and does not correspond to any empirical reality in India. This volume offers new insights into the nature of the construction of religion in India and will be of interest to scholars of the History of Religion, Asian Religion, Postcolonial and South Asian Studies.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book critically assesses recent debates about the colonial construction of Hinduism. Increasingly scholars have come to realise that the dominant understanding of Indian culture and its traditions is unsatisfactory. According to the classical paradigm, Hindu traditions are conceptualized as features of a religion with distinct beliefs, doctrines, sacred laws and holy texts. Today, however, many academics consider this conception to be a colonial ‘construction’. This book focuses on the different versions, arguments and counter-arguments of the thesis that the Hindu religion is a construct of colonialism. Bringing together the different positions in the debate, it provides necessary historical data, arguments and conceptual tools to examine the argument. Organized in two parts, the first half of the book provides new analyses of historical and empirical data; the second presents some of the theoretical questions that have emerged from the debate on the construction of Hinduism. Where some of the contributors argue that Hinduism was created as a result of a western Christian notion of religion and the imperatives of British colonialism, others show that this religion already existed in pre-colonial India; and as an alternative to these standpoints, other writers argue that Hinduism only exists in the European experience and does not correspond to any empirical reality in India. This volume offers new insights into the nature of the construction of religion in India and will be of interest to scholars of the History of Religion, Asian Religion, Postcolonial and South Asian Studies.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Aquitanian Kyrie Repertory of the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries by
Cover of the book A History of the Greek and Roman World (Routledge Revivals) by
Cover of the book Becoming a Nurse by
Cover of the book How to Choose a Psychotherapist by
Cover of the book The Structure of Social Theory by
Cover of the book An Archaeology of the Cosmos by
Cover of the book Climate Change Cooperation in Southern Africa by
Cover of the book The Literary Freud by
Cover of the book Web Marketing for the Music Business by
Cover of the book Free Jazz by
Cover of the book Ethnic Variations in Dying, Death and Grief by
Cover of the book Practitioner Research at Doctoral Level by
Cover of the book Romantic Readers and Transatlantic Travel by
Cover of the book The PFLP's Changing Role in the Middle East by
Cover of the book Ancestral Geographies of the Neolithic by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy