Hinduism in the Modern World

Brian A. Hatcher is Packard Chair of Theology at Tufts University, where he is also Professor and Chair of the Department of Religion. He is the author of several monographs on Hindu reform movements in colonial Bengal, the dynamics of modern Hindu eclecticism, and the life and activities of the social reformer, Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar. In his other published work he has explored the transformation of Sanskrit learning in colonial Bengal, highlighted the world of vernacular intellectual life, and worked to understand contemporary Hinduism against the backdrop of colonial history and postcolonial theory.

• List of maps and illustrations. Notes on contributors. Introduction—Brian Hatcher. Part I: Hinduism Today: Three Perspectives. 1. Hinduism in South India—Leela Prasad. 2. Hinduism in North India—Brian Pennington. 3. Transnational movements—Hanna Kim. Part II: The Colonial Backdrop. 4. Debates within Colonial Hinduism—Amiya P. Sen. 5. Colonial devotional paths—Jason Fuller. 6. Hinduism and colonial law—Donald Davis and Timothy Lubin. Part III: Movements and Relocations. 7. Hinduism in Fiji, Africa and Trinidad—Anantanand Rambachan and Usha Shukla. 8. Hinduism in Britain—Maya Warrier. 9. Hinduism in the United States—Prema Kurien. Part IV: Networks of Meaning 10. Modern Monks and Global Hinduism—Tim Dobe. 11. Modern Yoga and Tantra—Lola Williamson. 12. Renunciation and domesticity—Meena Khandelwal. 13. Modern Vedic ritual— Frederick M. Smith. 14. Visual and Media Culture—Karline McLain. Part V: Critical Social and Political Issues. 15. Public Hinduism and Hindutva—Pralay Kanungo. 16. Caste and untouchability—Rupa Viswanath. 17. Gender and Sexuality—Ruth Vanita. 18. Ecology and the environment—Eliza Kent. Conclusion—Brian Hatcher. Glossary. Index.

"I have to say that I find this book to be among the best. The insistence on examining modernity is crucial and it is done very well…. I would most assuredly use this book for my class on modern Hinduism and I expect that many other teachers will as well."Ariel Glucklich, Georgetown University, USA"Finally! Here is a collection of essays on Hindus in the modern world that takes full account of the rich and complicated range of their beliefs, practices, and experiences. These essays explore modern Hinduism as something simultaneously historical and reformed, ancient and contemporary, Indian and global. This is exactly the kind of comprehensive treatment of Hindu modernity that students have long needed."Richard Davis, Bard College, USA"Hinduism in the Modern World brings together a group of excellent essays which reflect current scholarship on the diversity of Hinduism in its modernities within India and its worldwide distribution."Paul B. Courtright, Emory University, USA