Beschreibung:
This study critically assesses recent debates about the colonial construction of Hinduism. Written by experts in their field, the chapters present historical and empirical arguments as well as theoretical reflections on the topic, offering new insights into the nature of the construction of religion in India.
Part 1: Historical and Empirical Arguments 1. Hindus and Others 2. Hindu Religious Identity with Special Reference to the Origin and Significance of the Term 'Hinduism', c. 1787-1947 3. Representing Religion in Colonial India 4. Colonialism and Religion 5. Women, the Freedom Movement, and Sanskrit: Notes on Religion and Colonialism from the Ethnographic Present Part 2: Theoretical Reflections 6. Colonialism, Hinduism and the Discourse of Religion 7. Who Invented Hinduism? Rethinking Religion in India 8. Orientalism, Postcolonialism and the 'Construction' of Religion 9. The Colonial Construction of What?