Axel Michaels

“in this, however, is not only a matter of a convincing argument, but also of æsthetics. In a certain respect, the Identificatory Habitus is only old wine in new bottles. Indian society has repeatedly been defined as holistic, encompassing the opposites, inclusive, integrative, producing similarities—by Max Weber, Louis Dumont, Paul Hacker, Jan Heesterman, McKim Marriott, Sudhir Kakar, Brian K. Smith, and others. They have all emphasized another soul, structure, way of thinking, or code with regard to India. They have all tried to grasp the “essence” of India. The danger of constructing and imagining such a personal India—the main criticism of Ronald Inden27—is certainly not to be denied, nor is the danger of seeing this other India as a deviation from the West or drawing an overly harmonious image of India: Women or Untouchables see the alleged solidarity of the caste system less harmoniously than Dumont does.28 But anyone who intends to avoid completely the danger of Orientalism, and”
― Axel Michaels, Hinduism: Past and Present