Orientalism and Religion: Postcolonial Theory, India and 'the Mystic East'Orientalism and Religion offers us a timely discussion of the implications of contemporary post-colonial theory for the study of religion. Richard King examines the way in which notions such as mysticism, religion, Hinduism and Buddhism are taken for granted. He shows us how religion needs to be reinterpreted along the lines of cultural studies. Drawing on a variety of post-structuralist and post-colonial thinkers, such as Foucault, Gadamer, Said, and Spivak, King provides us with a challenging series of reflections on the nature of Religious Studies and Indology. |
Contents
a genealogy of the idea of the mystical | 7 |
Disciplining religion | 35 |
Sacred texts hermeneutics and world religions | 62 |
Orientalism and Indian religions | 82 |
The modern myth of Hinduism 96 | 96 |
Vedanta and the politics of representation | 118 |
Orientalism and the discovery of Buddhism | 143 |
Other editions - View all
Orientalism and Religion: Postcolonial Theory, India and 'the Mystic East' Richard King Limited preview - 1999 |
Orientalism and Religion: Post-Colonial Theory, India and "The Mystic East" Richard King Limited preview - 2013 |
Orientalism and Religion: Post-Colonial Theory, India and "The Mystic East" Richard King Limited preview - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
academic Advaita Vedānta analysis approach argues Asian belief Bengal Renaissance brahmanical British Buddha Buddhism Cambridge century Christian Mysticism claim colonial discourse concept construction constructivism contemporary context critical critique darśanas David Kopf debate discipline Eckhart emphasis Enlightenment epistemology Europe European feminist forms Foucault Gadamer gender gion Halbfass hegemony hermeneutics Hindu Hinduism historiography human Ibid India Indian culture Indian religion indigenous instance intellectual interpretation involved Jantzen Katz knowledge Kopf literary London Mahāyāna Meister Eckhart modern Western mystic East mystical experiences nationalism nature Orientalism Orientalist Orientalist discourses paradigm particular perennial philosophy perspectives philosophy political position postcolonial power relations Prakash presuppositions reality religion religious studies religious traditions represent representations Routledge Said's samsāra Śankara Sanskrit scholars secular sense social society Spivak stance study of mysticism study of religion Subaltern Studies suggests Sūtra term textual theology theory tion translation Vedanta Vivekananda West Western culture Western Orientalists world religions