Hinduism Reconsidered

Contemporary research on Hinduism has thrown up a number of micro studies and new, overall theories giving rise to various questions: Do conventional notions about Hinduism need to be reformulated on the basis of new evidences and modern theories? Is it prudent to interpret Hinduism without an interdisciplinary and contextual approach? In short, what does Hinduism mean? The above issues were discussed at the IXth European Conference of Modern South Asian Studies held Heidelberg, Germany. This volume contains thirteen papers presented for discussion there – discussions which were lively and thought-provoking – along with four additional contributions. Papers included are: Hinduism or three-thousand-three-hundred-and-six ways to invoke a construct; Hinduism: On the proper use of a deceptive term; Syndicated Hinduism; The emergence of modern 'Hinduism' as a concept and as an institution: a reappraisal with special reference to South India; Religion, reaction and change: The role of sects in Hinduism; Hinduism through Western glasses: a critique of some Western views on Hinduism; Hindu-Muslim interactions in medieval Maharashtra; The concept of the ideal Brahmin as an ideological construct; Hinduism and National Liberation Movement in India: Hinduism as seen by Niza?ri? Isma?'ili? missionaries of western India: the evidence of the Gina?n; Multiple approaches to a living Hindu myth: the Lord of the Govardhan hill; Bhakti and Monasticism; Staying on the goddess's eyelid: devotion and reversal of values in Hindu Bengal; Hinduism in diaspora: the transformation of tradition in Trinidad; The polythetic-prototype approach to Hinduism; Hinduism: the five components and their interaction; Something lost, something gained: translations of Hinduism. The papers reflect a wide variety of opinions on what Hinduism means and are a distinct contribution to our understanding of Hinduism, which cannot be forced into watertight inflexible categories.