Defining HinduismA Reader
Edited by: J.E. Llewellyn
Series: Critical Categories in the Study of Religion Paperback Price £17.99 |    |
Description
Defining Hinduism is concerned not only with what Hinduism is, but also with what it has been and with the history of the religion and of the term ‘Hinduism.’ Some of the authors included here make political or ideological claims, so they are also interested in what Hinduism should be. The book is composed of nine essays originally published over a ten-year period between 1991 and 2001 written by some of the most influential and interesting scholars working on the religions of South Asia today. These essays are put into context by a comprehensive general introduction as well as individual introductions to each of the three parts. These are only some of the most important and interesting examples of the growing literature on the problem of defining Hinduism. This is obviously a critical subject for students of South Asia, given that Hinduism is the dominant religion in that region. Since Hinduism is almost always counted as one of the major world religions, its definition is also significant for religious studies generally.
Defining Hinduism is concerned not only with what Hinduism is, but also with what it has been and with the history of the religion and of the term ‘Hinduism.’ Some of the authors included here make political or ideological claims, so they are also interested in what Hinduism should be. The book is composed of nine essays originally published over a ten-year period between 1991 and 2001 written by some of the most influential and interesting scholars working on the religions of South Asia today. These essays are put into context by a comprehensive general introduction as well as individual introductions to each of the three parts. These are only some of the most important and interesting examples of the growing literature on the problem of defining Hinduism. This is obviously a critical subject for students of South Asia, given that Hinduism is the dominant religion in that region. Since Hinduism is almost always counted as one of the major world religions, its definition is also significant for religious studies generally.
Contents
Introduction: The Problem of Defining Hinduism
PART 1. DEFINITIONS OF HINDUISM
Orientation
1 Wilhelm Halbfass, The Idea of the Veda and the Identity of Hinduism
2 Julius J. Lipner, Ancient Banyan: An Inquiry into the Meaning of "Hinduness"
PART II. HINDUISM IN PRECOLONIAL PERIOD
Orientation
3 David N. Lorenzen, Who Invented Hinduism?
4 Will Sweetman, Unity and Plurality: Hinduism and the Religions of India in Early European Scholarship
PART III. HINDUISM IN THE COLONIAL PERIOD
AND IN INDEPENDENT INDIA
Orientation
5 Brian K. Smith, Questioning Authority: Constructions and Deconstructions of Hinduism
6 Robert Eric Frykenberg, Constructions of Hinduism at the Nexus of History and Religion
PART IV. HINDUISM AND CASTE
Orientation
7 Mary Searle-Chatterjee, "World Religions" and "Ethnic Groups": Do These Paradigms Lend Themselves to the Cause of Hindu Nationalism?"
8 Gail Omvedt, Introduction to Dalit Visions
9 Timothy Fitzgerald, Problems with "Religion" as a Category for Understanding Hinduism
Specifications
| ISBN-10 (Paperback) | 1904768733 |
| ISBN-13 (Paperback) | 9781904768739 |
| Price (Paperback) | £17.99 |
| Publication Date | October 2005 |
| Pages | 224 |
| Size | 244 x 169 |
| Readership | undergraduates |
| Availability | Available in North America from Routledge NY. |
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