India in the Eyes of Europeans

Martin Fárek is associate professor in the Department of Geography at the Technical University of Liberec, the Czech Republic.

• AcknowledgmentsA Note on the Transliteration of Indian Words and on the Translation from CzechIntroductionHow Do Europeans Approach the Otherness of Indian Traditions?Paradigms and Theories in the Study of Indian CultureThe Problematic Concept of ReligionThe Research Questions and StepsEuropeans’ Search for Religion in IndiaThe Czech Understanding of Indian TraditionsDefinition Problems in “Endless” Discussions about HinduismWas Buddhism a Protest against the Brahminical Orthodoxy and the Castes?Intermezzo: Language Usage, Theories, and Metastructure of IdeasOrientalists Continue with Theological QuestionsTheories and ObservationsSearch for the “Primitive” Monotheism in India and Its ConsequencesReligion, Historiography, and Indian PastThe Legacy of Christian Thought in HistoriographyHistory of India Written by EuropeansThe Truth of History Versus the Truth of StoriesChanging Interpretations of the AryansWhat Did Archaeology Prove?Physical Anthropology and the Racial TheoryFrom the “Brahminical Invasion” to the AryansDid Ram Mohan Roy Understand Western Religion?Problems in the Debate about Roy’s Ideas of ReligionWestern Monotheistic Framework Accepted . . .. . . but not Understood: “Good Idolatry” and “Evil in the Name of God”The Traditional Indian Framework of Roy’s ThoughtsConclusionsBibliographyIndex