Vedantic Hinduism in Colonial Bengal

Reformed Hinduism and Western Protestantism
1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-0-367-54026-5
Verlag: Routledge

Buch, Englisch, 252 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 389 g

Reihe: Routledge Studies in Religion

This book explores the ways in which modern Hindu identities were constructed in the early nineteenth century. It draws parallels between sixteenth and eventeenth Cecntury Protestantism and the rise of modernity in the West, and the Hindu reformation in the nineteenth century which contributed to the rise of Vedantic Hindu modernity discourse in India.

The nineteenth century Hindu modernity, it is argued, sought both individual flourishing and collective emancipation from Western domination. For the first time Hinduism began to be constructed as a religion of sacred texts. In particular, texts belonging to what could be loosely called Vedanta: Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. In this way, the main protagonists of this Vedantist modernity were imitating Western Protestantism, but at the same time also inventing totally novel interpretations of what it meant to be Hindu. The book traces the major ideological paths taken in this cultural-religious reformation from its originator Rammohun Roy up to its last major influence, Rabindranath Tagore.

Bringing these two versions of modernity into conversation brings a unique view on the formation of modern Hindu identities. It will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars of religious, Hindu and South Asian studies, as well as religious istory and interreligious dialogue.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate, Professional, and Undergraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bijlert, Victor A. van

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Asiatische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Hinduismus Hinduismus: Heilige Texte & Traditionsliteratur
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christentum/Christliche Theologie Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Protestantismus, evangelische und protestantische Kirchen
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Vergleichende Religionswissenschaft
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Weltgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Systematische Theologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface; 1 Introducing modernity and Vedantic Hinduism; 2 Western Modernity and Religious Ethic; 3 The Beginning of the Hindu Reformation: Rammohun Roy; 4 The 'Further Reformation' of Hinduism: Debendranath and Keshub; 5 The Narrator of Militant Modernity: Bankimchandra Chatterjee; 6 Propagating and Fighting: Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo; 7 Rabindranath Tagore: the reluctant Hindu nationalist; Concluding remarks; Bibliography; Index

Über Autor(innen)

Victor A. van Bijlert is Lecturer in the Department of Beliefs and Practices, Faculty of Religion and Theology, at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.