So, what is Hinduism?

•Prescriptive definition; nice and neat, but leaves many exceptions.

•Non – prescriptive definition; horrendously nebulous, far too much stuff.

William Cantwell Smith, “The meaning and end of religion”.

Hinduism is not an intelligible entity or a valuable object of enquiry.

Hinduism is a particularly false conceptualisation.

Hinduism is conspicuously incompatible with the religious

understanding of Hindus.

Hinduism; the etic discourse.

“Hindus” are those people who live over there; the other

side of the river Indus, in Sind. (But we can’t pronounce

“Sind” properly, and it sounds like “hind” when we say it).

Mughals were the Islamic invaders, who conquered

India.

Hinduism; the etic discourse

We, the British, maintain good census

information so we can tax our empire.

We call someone “Hindu”, when they do not belong to a

religion that we recognise;

Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Jainism, Parsees, Sikhs etc.

Orientalist discourse.The orientalists were artists, scholars and travellers who visited the east; they were

transfixed by the idea of the “Mystic east”;

alluring, spiritual, mysterious, and….

erotic.

Orientalist Discourse.

• Orientalist; Those who saw Hinduism as an advanced and sophisticated culture. Usually those who went to India with the company or Raj, and were involved directly.

• 1780s - Wilkins \ Hahled \ Jones; studied Brahminical Hinduism to the exception of local traditions, and established pattern.

• 1805 – Colebrooke; “On the Vedas”, claimed to find monotheism within vedic texts. (Monotheism obviously superior!).

Anglicist Discourse.

Hinduism is debased,

polytheistic and inhuman, we must raise the Indians

from their savagery with

civilisation and the light of

Christianity.

Anglicist discourse.

“The hindu divinities are absolute monsters

of lust, injustice, wickedness and

cruelty….their whole religious system is

one grand abomination”Hansard. June

22nd.1813.

Hinduism; the emic discourse.

Hinduism is universal truth,

open to all. It is the ur-spirituality of

mankind, and thus spiritual

acheivement is India’s gift to the

world. Sri Ramakirshna

Hinduism; the emic discourse.

Dyananda Saraswati

Hinduism is the ancient Vedic

religion of India, it is defining of

“Indian-ness”, and is monothestic and mystical.

Hinduism; the emic discourse.

Hinduism is a myriad of local Indian religious

and spiritual traditions, all

limited geographically.

Sanatan Dharma Sabha.

Problems with Definition.

What is Hinduism? Hard to define using techniques from other religions

because:• If we examine philosophy, then we leave

out folk religion.• If we look at devotional religion, then we

leave out Philosophy & folk religion.• If we look at social structures, we leave

out religious ideas.

Heinrich Von Steitencron. “Hinduism, on the proper use of a

descriptive term”.

“Hinduism is a civilisation formed and enriched by a group of Hindu religions,

which developed a particularly liberal way of

co-existence and interaction”.

So what is in the Hindu family?

1. Polytheistic Vedic Religion. Survives amongst very orthodox Brahmins.

2. Advaita Vedanta; Monistic philosophy.3. Vaisnavism & Saivism; monotheistic

Bhakti cults.4. Saktism: Dualistic Bhakti.5. Other cults; Nagas, Surya Ganeşa &

goddesses.6. Tribal religions.7. Syncretistic religions; Sikhsim etc.