The Hindus: An Alternative History
From one of the world's foremost scholars of Hinduism, a vivid reinterpretation of its history.\ An engrossing and definitive narrative account of history and myth, The Hindus offers a new way of understanding one of the world's oldest major religions. Hinduism does not lend itself easily to a strictly chronological account. Many of its central texts cannot be reliably dated within a century; its central tenets arise at particular moments in Indian history and often differ according to gender...
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From one of the world's foremost scholars on Hinduism, a vivid reinterpretation of its historyAn engrossing and definitive narrative account of history and myth that offers a new way of understanding one of the world's oldest major religions, The Hindus elucidates the relationship between recorded history and imaginary worlds.Hinduism does not lend itself easily to a strictly chronological account: many of its central texts cannot be reliably dated even within a century; its central tenets—karma, dharma, to name just two—arise at particular moments in Indian history and differ in each era, between genders, and caste to caste; and what is shared among Hindus is overwhelmingly outnumbered by the things that are unique to one group or another. Yet the greatness of Hinduism—its vitality, its earthiness, its vividness—lies precisely in many of those idiosyncratic qualities that continue to inspire debate today.Wendy Doniger is one of the foremost scholars of Hinduism in the world. With her inimitable insight and expertise Doniger illuminates those moments within the tradition that resist forces that would standardize or establish a canon. Without reversing or misrepresenting the historical hierarchies, she reveals how Sanskrit and vernacular sources are rich in knowledge of and compassion toward women and lower castes; how they debate tensions surrounding religion, violence, and tolerance; and how animals are the key to important shifts in attitudes toward different social classes.The Hindus brings a fascinating multiplicity of actors and stories to the stage to show how brilliant and creative thinkers—many of them far removed from Brahmin authors of Sanskrit texts—have kept Hinduism alive in ways that other scholars have not fully explored. In this unique and authoritative account, debates about Hindu traditions become platforms from which to consider the ironies, and overlooked epiphanies, of history. The Washington Post - Michael Dirda Wendy Doniger's erudite "alternative history" shouldn't be anyone's introduction to Hinduism. But once you've learned the basics about this most spiritual of cultures, don't miss this equivalent of a brilliant graduate course from a feisty and exhilarating teacher.
India's Major Geographical Features xi\ India from 2500 BCE to 600 CE xii\ India from 600 CE to 1600 CE xiii\ India from 1600 CE to the Present xiv\ List of Illustrations xv\ Preface: The Man or the Rabbit in the Moon 1\ 1 Introduction: Working with Available Light 17\ 2 Time and Space in India: 50 Million to 50,000 BCE 50\ 3 Civilization in the Indus Valley: 50,000 to 1500 BCE 65\ 4 Between the Ruins and the Text: 2000 to 1500 BCE 85\ 5 Humans, Animals, and Gods in the Rig Veda: 1500 to 1000 BCE 103\ 6 Sacrifice in the Brahmanas: 800 to 500 BCE 135\ 7 Renunciation in the Upanishads: 600 to 200 BCE 164\ 8 The Three (or Is It Four?) Aims of Life in the Hindu Imaginary 199\ 9 Women and Ogresses in the Ramayana: 400 BCE to 200 CE 212\ 10 Violence in the Mahabharata: 300 BCE to 300 CE 252\ 11 Dharma in the Mahabharata: 300 BCE to 300 CE 277\ 12 Escape Clauses in the Shastras: 100 BCE to 400 CE 304\ 13 Bhakti in South India: 100 BCE to 900 CE 338\ 14 Goddesses and Gods in the Early Puranas: 300 to 600 CE 370\ 15 Sects and Sex in the Tantric Puranas and the Tantras: 600 to 900 CE 406\ 16 Fusion and Rivalry Under the Delhi Sultanate: 650 to 1500 CE 445\ 17 Avatar and Accidental Grace in the Later Puranas: 800 to 1500 CE 473\ 18 Philosophical Feuds in South India and Kashmir: 800 to 1300 CE 503\ 19 Dialogue and Tolerance Under the Mughals: 1500 to 1700 CE 527\ 20 Hinduism Under the Mughals: 1500 to 1700 CE 551\ 21 Caste, Class, and Conversion Under the British Raj: 1600 to 1900 CE 574\ 22 Suttee and Reform in the Twilight of the Raj: 1800 to 1947 CE 610\ 23 Hindus in America: 1900- 636\ 24 The Past in the Present: 1950- 654\ 25 Inconclusion, or, the Abuse of History 687\ Acknowledgments 691\ Chronology 693\ Guide to Pronunciation and Spelling of Words in Sanskrit and Other Indian Languages 695\ Abbreviations 696\ Glossary of Terms in Indian Languages and Names of Key Figures 697\ Notes 704\ Bibliography: Works Cited and Consulted 729\ Photo Credits 754\ Index 755
\ Michael DirdaWendy Doniger's erudite "alternative history" shouldn't be anyone's introduction to Hinduism. But once you've learned the basics about this most spiritual of cultures, don't miss this equivalent of a brilliant graduate course from a feisty and exhilarating teacher.\ —The Washington Post\ \ \ \ \ Pankaj Mishra…staggeringly comprehensive…it is impossible not to admire a book that strides so intrepidly into a polemical arena almost as treacherous as Israel-Arab relations…This book will no doubt further expose [Doniger] to the fury of the modern-day Indian heirs of the British imperialists who invented "Hinduism." Happily, it will also serve as a salutary antidote to the fanatics who perceive—correctly—the fluid existential identities and commodious metaphysic of practiced Indian religions as a threat to their project of a culturally homogenous and militant nation-state.\ —The New York Times\ \ \ Library JournalDoniger's "alternative history" of Hinduism takes a closer look at how outsiders contributed to its evolution. The term outsiders is used very broadly here. Some have been the marginalized people within mainstream Hinduism itself, such as tribal people and Dalits(Untouchables) or women (within a strongly patriarchal society). Others have been believers in other religions-notably Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Sikhism-or alien conquerors and rulers, such as the Greeks, Moghals, and British. All these and more have influenced Hindu faith and practice and have in their turn been influenced by the Hindus. As shown here, outsiders and mainstream Hindus have dealt with one another at times violently and at times peacefully. A respected historian and a translator of several important Sanskrit works (e.g., Hindu Myths), Doniger (history of religions, Univ. of Chicago) takes particular pains to show the outsider influences in Hindu literature, a tall order at which she mostly succeeds. There are times when the reader may feel overwhelmed by the wealth of information, so this sizable text is not for the casual reader. Recommended for academic and public libraries with strong religion collections.\ —James F. DeRoche\ \ \
