what extent is ‘Hinduism’ an Orientalist concept?
It has been argued in recent academic works such as that by Heinrich von Stietencron that the modern notion of ‘Hinduism’ as a singular, unified ancient world religion is a myth. These academics claim that it is nineteenth-century Western construct by Orientalist scholars inspired by their Judaeo-Christian presuppositions of what a religion ‘should’ be. Yet, this view is rather limited in that it fails to recognise the part played by indigenous Indians in the development of modern ‘Hinduism’. It is wrong to put almost exclusive emphasis on the role of Western Orientalists because, as Richard King noted, it “erases the colonial subject from history and perpetuates the view of the passive Oriental.” This essay will endeavour to answer how far the modern world religion that we today identify as ‘Hinduism’ is merely a construct of nineteenth century ‘Orientalism’ and whether ‘Hinduism’ is a term that should continue to be used in contemporary scholarship.
In the much celebrated Orientalism (1978), Edward Said challenged the notion of an inherent difference between East and West. He writes of this being established at the start of colonisation by Europeans as a way to define themselves as a superior, more civilised race and thus justify their actions against the indigenous societies. He describes the ‘Orient’ or the East as being therefore represented and studied according to how Westerners perceived it in the nineteenth century and in doing so, Asian culture, including religion, was inevitably shaped and developed by this ‘orientalising of the orient’. However, Said’s work is to some extent flawed, particularly in that he does not acknowledge the ways in which indigenous societ...
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...al features of “Orientalism” such as the spirituality and mysticism of India have been embraced by natives of the “Orient” as positive and aided the construction of an indigenous national identity. The singular, unitary modern world religion known as “Hinduism”, while originally constructed in the most part by Western scholars, is arguably not merely an “Orientalist concept”. This view, advocated by von Stietencron is flawed in that it fails to recognise the development of the “religion” and its associated culture since the nineteenth century. While it is doubtful that an “essence” of “Hinduism” exists, to reduce the religion to a being a “Western construct” in the twenty-first century is to deny the Indian people who label themselves as being “Hindu’s” the opportunity to value and develop their own national culture, albeit still influenced by their colonial past.
...o de-essentialize and de-Orientalize religious system of Islam, and instead locate it as part of a historical discursive tradition where practices were contested and in flux. This challenges notions of what authentic religious practices are in Theravada Buddhism, and in doing so expands an understanding of what forms can take. For this reason, the work is useful, and highly recommended for an aspiring religious or anthropological scholar.
In the chapter on Hinduism in Philip Novak’s book The World’s Wisdom the section titled “The Transmigration of the Soul” describes the Hindu concept of reincarnation, the wheel of life, and ultimately becoming one with god. The lines in this passage very concisely describe the Hindu concepts of Brahman, Atman, Samsara, Karma, Maya and Moksha (Molloy). I believe that these concepts are at the core of all of the expressions of the Hindu religion; which makes understanding this paragraph the key to having a basic understanding of the Hindu religion.
Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter, Edwin R. McDaniel, “Hinduism”, communication between cultures, pg 132-138.
1.) Intro: I decided to focus my Religious Ethnography on a friend whom I recently have become close with. Adhita Sahai is my friend’s name, which she later told me her first name meant “scholar.” I choose to observe and interview Adhita, after she invited me to her home after hearing about my assignment. I was very humbled that she was open to this, because not only was it a great opportunity for this paper, but it also helped me get to know Adhita better. I took a rather general approach to the religious questions that I proposed to the Sahai family because I didn’t want to push to deep, I could tell Hinduism is extremely important to this family. Because this family does not attend a religious site where they worship, I instead listened to how they do this at home as a family instead.
Christianity and Hinduism impacted each other as the British rule took control over the Indian people there we violent moment in time that caused a lot of hate between one another, but inevitable throughout time there has been memorable figures who have left some everlasting impressions across the world because of the different beliefs that they encountered in their path of life. In this essay I will describe one-way Christianity impacted India as well as one-way Hinduism impacted the U.S.
Basham, A.L. The Origins and Developments of Classical Hinduism. Ed. Kenneth G. Zysk. Boston: Beacon, 1989.
Hinduism is a complex religion that has a variety of beliefs and traditions. In the nineteenth century, the British had to categorize the people living in the region of the Indus River for census purposes thus getting the name Hindus by foreigners. Today they have a preference of being labeled as "Sanatana Dharma (eternal religion)" (Pg 79)
India has a characteristic of more ethnic and religious groups than most countries in the world. Despite this multiplicity of religions, there exists a broad group of interrelated traditions called Hinduism. Although other religions within the nation such as Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity have occasionally challenged its dominance, Hinduism is the most prevalent religion in the South Asian region. Some of the outstanding differences between Hinduism and other denominatio...
Hinduism is often viewed as a particularly tolerant religion. The lack of a single omniscient God, absence of a prophet, and the open worship of what may look like many Gods may tell a tale of open worship, individuality within religion, and a peaceful, tolerant way of life. Without further examining what Hinduism entails, this may seem like the perfect religion. When the impression of superiority is looked at with a little skepticism, the pretty picture is marred by the deep scratches of discrimination, sexism, and elitism.
Religion is a powerful yet sensitive subject in many parts of the world. It is powerful in the sense that it gives a person comfort in their beliefs and practices. A particular religion that reflects the acceptance of a person’s own beliefs and practices would be Hinduism. Hinduism is one of the oldest religions that exist in our world today. It is widely practiced all over the world, especially in the west. Sometimes Hinduism can be misunderstood, as some people don’t really know how to interpret Hinduism. What exactly is Hinduism? Exploring the many themes of this particular religion helps answer the many questions that are raised by others.
While examining different religious paths within Hinduism from the perspective of four patterns of transcendence (ancestral, cultural, mythical and experiential) it is interesting to see how each pattern found its dominance over four segments of Hinduism: Vedic sacrifice, the way of action, the way of devotion and the way of knowledge.
According to Said, one definition of Orientalism is that it is a "style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between 'the Orient' and the 'Occident'." This is connected to the idea that Western society, or Europe in this case, is superior in comparison to cultures that are non-European, or the Orient. This means that Orientalism is a kind of racism held toward anyone not European. Said wrote that Orientalism was "a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient." This Western idea of the Orient explains why so many European countries occupied lands they believed to be Oriental.
Fisher, Mary Pat. "HINDUISM." Living Religions. 1991. Reprint. Upper Saddle River: Person Education, 2011. 73-120. Print.
When in 1978 Edward W. Said published his book Orientalism, it presented a turning point in post-colonial criticism. He introduced the term Orientalism, and talked about 2 of its aspects: the way the West sees the Orient and the way the West controls the Orient. Said gave three definitions of Orientalism, and it is through these definitions that I will try to demonstrate how A Passage to India by E. M. Forster is an Orientalist text. First, Said defined Orientalism as an academic discipline, which flourished in 18th and 19th century.
I will now examine what it means to be religious with a critical enquiry into Buddhism, Hinduism and