Hinduism in the Modern World [Hardcover]

Hinduism in the Modern Worldpresents 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.

List of maps and illustrations. Notes on contributors. IntroductionBrian Hatcher. Part I: Hinduism Today: Three Perspectives. 1. Hinduism in South IndiaLeela Prasad. 2. Hinduism in North IndiaBrian Pennington. 3. Transnational movementsHanna Kim. Part II: The Colonial Backdrop. 4. Debates within Colonial HinduismAmiya P. Sen. 5. Colonial devotional pathsJason Fuller. 6. Hinduism and colonial lawDonald Davis and Timothy Lubin. Part III: Movements and Relocations. 7. Hinduism in Fiji, Africa and TrinidadAnantanand Rambachan and Usha Shukla. 8. Hinduism in BritainMaya Warrier. 9. Hinduism in the United StatesPrema Kurien. Part IV: Networks of Meaning 10. Modern Monks and Global HinduismTim Dobe. 11. Modern Yoga and TantraLola Williamson. 12. Renunciation and domesticityMeena Khandelwal. 13. Modern Vedic ritual Frederick M. Smith. 14. Visual and Media CultureKarline McLain. Part V: Critical Social and Political Issues. 15. Public Hinduism and HindutvaPralay Kanungo. 16. Caste and untl(