Guest guest Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 [ Moderator's note: For more on this topic, see http://magazine.uchicago.edu/0412/features/index.shtml ] Namaskar, I am not going to question the validity of any proposed conclusions in the recent debates. However, I thought I would bring something up that I think everyone would enjoy reading if they like taking an academic or scholarly approach to Dharmic texts, but still keep their sadhana at heart in the process. There is a book I am reading right now called *Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America*. I understand not everyone in this group is from America or enjoys academic debate...but for those who enjoy the academic approach to studying religions as well as the experiential approach to practicing a religion, I feel this book might be helpful. The editors are Eastern and Western authors, so the political party's influences on the making of this book is not as much of a concern for those who would have the concern. The only common complaint I am aware of is the publishing company not being as mindful of typos. In short, the book goes over some comments some credible western authors made on Hinduism. It academically evaluates the works and discusses the problems these scholars pose. Furthermore, it discusses how there exists a lack of dialogue between the religious scholars and theologians in the study of Indian Religion like there now is in other religions...so the dialectical approach and feedback (as well as counter feedback) has been missing. Another component it discusses is how the secular laws in India make achieving the balance above difficult because a lot of Hindus have to go overseas to study Hinduism in the academic realm. Ultimately, it touches on the importance of having both insider and outsider viewpoints when studying religion. Outsider viewpoints have significant weight, but the problems in this book discuss how there has been a lack of insider viewpoints to counter or add context to them. Sadly, rooting out the political influences in these situations are not simple. A number of people on all sides mean well (or I would like to think so in most cases!) but the problem's roots are at an institutional level, so the only thing that can help counter the noted concerns is having as many people as possible aware of them. This applies to Hindus and non-Hindus alike, regardless of their location. At this point, it goes beyond the political parties in the countries scrutinized because of this. Of course, I am the first to admit that I am also very biased. I am a firm advocate in expanding the knowledge we have in our education system because I believe education has an influence on people's perspectives. It is why I have chosen to go into studying South Asian Religion when I go to graduate school. I have no expectations of establishing any sort of justice, but hopefully the more people who look into these things, the more likely social change can happen. I have considerably digressed. I just wanted to recommend this book after seeing these debates coming up. The book may not be perfect, but I think it is valuable in at least expanding awareness on the academic study of religions. Namaste. Jai Ma~! Sincerely, Arya/Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.