Was Hinduism Invented?: Britons, Indians, and the Colonial Construction of Religion

ISBN-13: 9780195166552 / Angielski / Twarda / 2005 / 260 str.

Brian K. Pennington

Opis

Drawing on a large body of previously untapped literature, including documents from the Church Missionary Society and Bengali newspapers, Brian Pennington offers a fascinating portrait of the process by which "Hinduism" came into being. He argues against the common idea that the modern construction of religion in colonial India was simply a fabrication of Western Orientalists and missionaries. Rather, he says, it involved the active agency and engagement of Indian authors as well, who interacted, argued, and responded to British authors over key religious issues such as image-worship, sati, tolerance, and conversion.

Recenzje

Pennington gives us an insightful, creative, judicious, critical, and honest book that goes a long way to restoring some balance into the discussion about colonialism and Hinduism. I cannot recommend this book enough.