SV: SV: [Y-Indology] India loving Indologists

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vvrsps [sMTP:vvrsps] skrev 4. mai 2001 15:40:

> As I see it, there are at least four different planes on which there is

serious

> disagreemen/antagonism between (one group of) <Western Indologists> and

one

> group of <Hindu Indologists>.

 

I think we need to add another group here (a group the existence of which

only recently became clear to me:) the "Dalit Indologists". Without knowing

much about the subject so far, I realize from some of the recent postings

that there is a "Dalit" version (and not simply a "Leftist" version) of

Indian history, and that this version needs to be taken into account,

because it influences the debate between the two groups mentioned above. I

would be grateful to anybody on the net who could give me info

(bibliographic, web-related or otherwise) about the Dalit perspective.

 

> (a) Construction/discovery of ancient Indian history. Leaving aside the

related

> political/cultural implications, this problem can be (and hopefully will

be)

> solved to the satisfaction of all those who are committed to the

scientific

> methodology only by the gathering and rational interpretation of more and

more

> archeological data, linguistic correlations, cultural similarities, etc.

 

Given the nature of the data, even a benign intellectual atmosphere is not

going to produce absolute consensus. But much of the noise will subside

when India's early history ceases to be a political concern. This was the

case in Europe (sorry for the Eurocentric angle!), and I see no reason why

it should be different in India. But we are not there by a long shot.

 

> (b) Construction/discovery of colonial Indian history: Three alien groups

have

> played havoc, and also contributed matters of significance to India:

Islamic

> invaders, and Christian missionaries, the British. The question is how

much of

> their impacts was positive, and how much of it was negative? The older

view was

> that the positive impacts far outweighed the negative. The emerging view

is

> that it was just the opposite. I doubt if a consensus will ever be

reached on

> this, except perhaps among the members of the groups involved, although

here

> there are quite a few Western scholars agree (indeed who have contributed

> solidly) to the general assessment that the negatives far outweighed the

> positive. It is especially here that Euro-centric views need to be

examined and

> appropriately corrected.

 

I am beginning to feel that the term "Eurocentric" is being used in at

least two different senses on this list.

 

1) "Eurocentric" as in "representative of, or expressive of,

European/Western political and economic interest"

and

2) "Eurocentric" as in "based on European/Western principles of

hermeneutics and (rationalist) scholarly approach, what someone called the

"European/Western logos as against Eastern mythos" (this is quoted from

memory, so if I am wrong I'll peacefully accept getting mauled).

 

It is important to keep these two things apart. In an academic context,

definition 2) is what we should hang on to.

 

> (d) Finally there are questions related to belief-systems and sacred

books.

> This is a very touchy topic in any religious context. Scholars (Eastern

or

> Western, Southern or Northern) who interpret Holy Books of any tradition

with

> cold-blooded analytical erudition are sure to be criticized and condemned

(in

> some cases exterminated) by the more orthodox members of a group. In this

> context the distinction between Exo and Endo is extremely important.

 

This an immensely important statement, because it touches the heart of the

matter as far as "Eurocentrism def. 2" is concerned. It has been said

before on this list, and it bears repeating, that the hermeneutical methods

and rationalist approaches to religion and social systems that Western

scholars apply would be as controversial among many believing Christians as

they are to Hindus and Muslims. The reason why there is relatively little

concern about this in Europe, is partly that most people are blissfully

unaware of what goes on in Academia, partly that Europe has reached a stage

of secularisation where religious matters don't call for much emotion

anyhow. (Asian immigrants would of course be another story). But in

America, where religion still matters a lot, the relationship between many

Christian faiths and scholars/scientists is uneasy. I can't quite see a way

to reconcile the strictly religious approach and the academic rationalist

approach (which should not be confused with "Marxism"). I fear they will

have to coexist side by side for the foreseeable future. What we can hope

for would be to define the differences in a more specific and concrete way

than what is usually done here on Indology.

 

> My own suspicion/prediction is that all this acrimony will end only when

modern

> India regains her economic, technological, and military strength.

 

This is a good point. I might add: when the majority of people in India

(and elsewhere) get to take part in ordinary consumerism. Consumerism is a

great peacemaker, not only socially but also intellectually. Mass

production of quality consumer goods and cheap popular entertainment have

done a lot to create stable and relatively peaceful societies in the West.

 

but in so far as they

> embrace the post-modernist thesis that (modern) science is a construct of

the

> imperialistic racist West, while trying to show that quantum mechanics

and

> nuclear physics are implicit in ancient Hindu writings, their reflections

may

> not contribute much to India's becoming a world power.

 

This again strikes at the heart of the matter. As Lyotard claims,

politicians look for power, and the importance of intellectuals is related

to their ability to produce power. (Which is why Sanskritists are barely

able to scrape along in the West). The sort of writing that Prof. Raman

refers to here, is not going to produce much power, at least not for India

as a nation, although it may temporarily boost the power and prestige of

certain interests in India and in Indian communities abroad. It is a blind

alley, and the farther you walk down that alley, the longer the road back

becomes when you realize that you are up against a wall.

 

Lars Martin

 

 

Dr. art. Lars Martin Fosse

Haugerudvn. 76, Leil. 114,

0674 Oslo

Norway

Phone: +47 22 32 12 19

Mobile phone: +47 90 91 91 45

Fax 1: +47 22 32 12 19

Fax 2: +47 85 02 12 50 (InFax)

Email: lmfosse