Eclecticism And Modern Hindu Discourse

Author : Brian A. Hatcher
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0195344138
Total Pages : 213 pages
Book Rating : 4.34/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Eclecticism and Modern Hindu Discourse written by Brian A. Hatcher and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1999-05-13 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this new book, Brian Hatcher examines the modern Hindu penchant for constructing religious worlds in an eclectic fashion. Noting how Hindu apologists from Rammohun Roy to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan make an almost promiscuous use of the world's many philosophies and religions to define and defend Hinduism, Hatcher sets out to explore the ancient roots and contemporary significance of such eclectic borrowing. A discussion of the Vedic and classical roots of Hindu eclecticism affords Hatcher the opportunity to reflect upon the profound and widespread role of eclecticism in South Asian religion, while consideration of the work of Swami Vivekananda--as well as a variety of religious reformers from nineteenth-century Bengal--suggests the ongoing significance of the phenomenon in colonial and postcolonial contexts. By examining the development of Brahmo and Neo-Vedanta discourse, Hatcher is able both to problematize the notion of a monolithic concept of religious eclecticism and to reflect upon the various ways scholars might nevertheless attempt to make sense of a bewildering variety of eclectic philosophies. What emerges is not simply an attempt to refine our understanding of the role eclecticism has played in the modern Hindu context, but an extended reflection upon changing attitudes toward eclecticism in the West, from Diderot and Kant through postmodern critical theory. By investigating modern and postmodern perspectives on such issues as history, system, authenticity, and difference, Hatcher seeks to set in motion a dialectical approach to the study of eclectic world construction that balances the positivisitic confidence of modern scholarship with the playful exuberance of postmodern pastiche. Invoking the critical theories of Salman Rushdie, Theodor Adorno, and Richard Rorty, Hatcher advocates an approach to modern Hindu eclecticism that honors its creative poetics while retaining the critical distance necessary for judging its sometimes baleful fruits.

Author : Brian Allison Hatcher
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780197738948
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4X/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Eclecticism and Modern Hindu Discourse written by Brian Allison Hatcher and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Brian Hatcher
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780198043683
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.86/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Bourgeois Hinduism, or Faith of the Modern Vedantists written by Brian Hatcher and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-11-26 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1839 a diverse group of Hindu leaders began gathering in Calcutta to share and propagate their faith in a non-idolatrous form of worship. The group, known as the Tattvabodhini Sabha, met weekly to worship and hear discourses from members on the virtues of a rational and morally responsible mode of worship. They called upon ancient sources of Hindu spirituality to guide them in developing a form of modern theism they referred to as "Vedanta." In this book, Brian Hatcher translates these hitherto unknown discourses and situates them against the backdrop of religious and social change in early colonial Calcutta. Apart from bringing to light the theology and moral vision of an association that was to have a profound influence on religious and intellectual life in nineteenth-century Bengal, Hatcher's analysis promotes reflection on a variety of topics central to understanding the development of modern forms of Hindu belief and practice.

Author : Brian a Hatcher
Publisher : Primus Books
ISBN 13 : 9789390430079
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.70/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Idioms of Improvement written by Brian a Hatcher and published by Primus Books. This book was released on 2021-06-07 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two hundred years after his birth, Īśvarcandra Vidyāsāgar remains a compelling figure in the history of modern Indian social change. The most widely acclaimed reformer of the nineteenth century after Rammohun Roy, Vidyāsāgar is renowned as both a Sanskrit pandit and an innovative modern thinker. Revered and reviled for his role in promoting the marriage of Hindu widows, he was also responsible for establishing new patterns in education, literature, and publishing. Idioms of Improvement offers such an account, making the case for a religious dimension to Vidyāsāgar's worldview that can explain both his impatience with orthodoxy and his respect for dharma. As one compelling species of liberal Hindu modernity, this worldview deserves careful explication and on-going critical reflection.

Author : Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231526601
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.09/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Hindu Widow Marriage written by Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2011-11-22 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Before the passage of the Hindu Widow's Re-marriage Act of 1856, Hindu tradition required a woman to live as a virtual outcast after her husband's death. Widows were expected to shave their heads, discard their jewelry, live in seclusion, and undergo regular acts of penance. Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar was the first Indian intellectual to successfully argue against these strictures. A Sanskrit scholar and passionate social reformer, Vidyasagar was a leading proponent of widow marriage in colonial India, urging his contemporaries to reject a ban that caused countless women to suffer needlessly. Vidyasagar's brilliant strategy paired a rereading of Hindu scripture with an emotional plea on behalf of the widow, resulting in an organic reimagining of Hindu law and custom. Vidyasagar made his case through the two-part publication Hindu Widow Marriage, a tour de force of logic, erudition, and humanitarian rhetoric. In this new translation, Brian A. Hatcher makes available in English for the first time the entire text of one of the most important nineteenth-century treatises on Indian social reform. An expert on Vidyasagar, Hinduism, and colonial Bengal, Hatcher enhances the original treatise with a substantial introduction describing Vidyasagar's multifaceted career, as well as the history of colonial debates on widow marriage. He innovatively interprets the significance of Hindu Widow Marriage within modern Indian intellectual history by situating the text in relation to indigenous commentarial practices. Finally, Hatcher increases the accessibility of the text by providing an overview of basic Hindu categories for first-time readers, a glossary of technical vocabulary, and an extensive bibliography.

Author : Ferdinando Sardella
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199865914
Total Pages : 361 pages
Book Rating : 4.18/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Modern Hindu Personalism written by Ferdinando Sardella and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-10 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work explores the life and work of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (1874-1937), a guru of the Chaitanya (1486-1534) school of Vaishnavism who, at a time when various interpretations of nondualistic Hindu thought were most prominent, managed to establish a pan-Indian movement for the modern revival of personalist bhakti - a movement that today encompasses both Indian and non-Indian populations throughout the world.

Author : Richard S. Weiss
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520973747
Total Pages : 222 pages
Book Rating : 4.49/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Emergence of Modern Hinduism written by Richard S. Weiss and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2019-08-06 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. The Emergence of Modern Hinduism argues for the importance of regional, vernacular innovation in processes of Hindu modernization. Scholars usually trace the emergence of modern Hinduism to cosmopolitan reform movements, producing accounts that overemphasize the centrality of elite religion and the influence of Western ideas and models. In this study, the author considers religious change on the margins of colonialism by looking at an important local figure, the Tamil Shaiva poet and mystic Ramalinga Swami (1823–1874). Weiss narrates a history of Hindu modernization that demonstrates the transformative role of Hindu ideas, models, and institutions, making this text essential for scholarly audiences of South Asian history, religious studies, Hindu studies, and South Asian studies.

Author : Brian A. Hatcher
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 113504631X
Total Pages : 340 pages
Book Rating : 4.16/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Hinduism in the Modern World written by Brian A. Hatcher and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-10-05 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hinduism in the Modern World presents a new and unprecedented attempt to survey the nature, range, and significance of modern and contemporary Hinduism in South Asia and the global diaspora. Organized to reflect the direction of recent scholarly research, this volume breaks with earlier texts on this subject by seeking to overcome a misleading dichotomy between an elite, intellectualist "modern" Hinduism and the rest of what has so often been misleadingly termed "traditional" or "popular" Hinduism. Without neglecting the significance of modern reformist visions of Hinduism, this book reconceptualizes the meaning of "modern Hinduism" both by expanding its content and by situating its expression within a larger framework of history, ethnography, and contemporary critical theory. This volume equips undergraduate readers with the tools necessary to appreciate the richness and diversity of Hinduism as it has developed during the past two centuries.

Author : Robin Rinehart
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1576079066
Total Pages : 464 pages
Book Rating : 4.65/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Contemporary Hinduism written by Robin Rinehart and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2004-07-21 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An examination of the contemporary practices, beliefs, and issues of one of the world's oldest and most enduring religions, both within its Indian homeland and throughout the world. Contemporary Hinduism: Ritual, Culture, and Practice illuminates the modern-day ritual, range, and reach of this ancient and diverse religion. A brief historical overview is followed by discussions of the oral and written origins of Hinduism that give context for the main emphasis—contemporary thought, practice, and key issues. Unique to this work is the consistent attention given to the practice of Hinduism for both men and women. What roles do caste and gender play in modern Hinduism? How are issues like ethics and the environment approached? What are the differences between urban and rural Hinduism, fundamental and secular Hinduism? To what countries has this religion spread, and how do the beliefs and practices of their people compare and contrast? Essays written by Indian and Western scholars answer these and other intriguing questions, introducing readers to the whole world of "living Hinduism" rather than the perspectives and traditions of a small elite.

Author : John Stevens
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 019093493X
Total Pages : 309 pages
Book Rating : 4.34/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Keshab written by John Stevens and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-06-01 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Keshab Chandra Sen (1838-84) was one of the most powerful and controversial figures in nineteenth-century Bengal. A religious leader and social reformer, his universalist interpretation of Hinduism found mass appeal in India, and generated considerable interest in Britain. His ideas on British imperial rule, religion and spirituality, global history, universalism and modernity were all influential, and his visit to England made him a celebrity. Many Britons regarded him as a prophet of world-historical significance. Keshab was the subject of extreme adulation and vehement criticism. Accounts tell of large crowds prostrating themselves before him, believing him to be an avatar. Yet he died with relatively few followers, his reputation in both India and Britain largely ruined. As a representative of India, Keshab became emblematic of broad concerns regarding Hinduism and Christianity, science and faith, India and the British Empire. This innovative study explores the transnational historical forces that shaped Keshab's life and work. It offers an alternative religious history of empire, characterized by intercultural dialogue and religious syncretism. A fascinating and often tragic portrait of Keshab's experience of the imperial world, and the ways in which he carried meaning for his contemporaries.