Hinduism: Past and Present

by Axel Michaels, Barbara Harshav (Translator)

Hinduism is currently followed by one-fifth of humankind. Far from a monolithic theistic tradition, the religion comprises thousands of gods, a complex caste system, and hundreds of languages and dialects. Such internal plurality inspires vastly ranging rites and practices amongst Hinduism's hundreds of millions of adherents. It is therefore not surprising that scholars have been hesitant to define universal Hindu beliefs and practices. In this book, Axel Michaels breaks this trend. He examines the traditions, beliefs, and rituals Hindus hold in common through the lens of what he deems its "identificatory habitus," a cohesive force that binds Hindu religions together and fortifies them against foreign influences. Thus, in his analysis, Michaels not only locates Hinduism's profoundly differentiating qualities, but also provides the framework for an analysis of its social and religious coherence.


Michaels blends his insightful arguments and probing questions with introductions to major historical epochs, ample textual sources as well as detailed analyses of major life-cycle rituals, the caste system, forms of spiritualism, devotionalism, ritualism, and heroism. Along the way he points out that Hinduism has endured and repeatedly resisted the missionary zeal and universalist claims of Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists. He also contrasts traditional Hinduism with the religions of the West, "where the self is preferred to the not-self, and where freedom in the world is more important than liberation from the world."


Engaging and accessible, this book will appeal to laypersons and scholars alike as the most comprehensive introduction to Hinduism yet published. Not only is Hinduism refreshingly new in its methodological approach, but it also presents a broad range of meticulous scholarship in a clear, readable style, integrating Indology, religious studies, philosophy, anthropological theory and fieldwork, and sweeping analyses of Hindu texts.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Hinduism, History, India

448 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 1998

Reviews

[Andy]

I didnt know the very idea of "Hinduism" as a unified religious concept was such a recent, problematic and vexed subject. It largely came about from British census takers in India designating as Hindu, anyone who was neither Christian nor Muslim.

Nevertheless Michaels argues that we can concieve of a group of uniquely Indian religions that share a certain set of values and practices. They begin with the idea of absolute identification, that the divine is imminent in all things. From there the idea of sacrifice to the divine can be intellectualized and abstracted to all kinds of practices and rituals both concrete and mystical. This descent from vedic sacrifice can be extended even to sects that explicitly reject the vedic canon. Likewise even as some groups reject the caste system, they still embrace an interrelated community defined by obligation and complete identification with ones grouping.

I got this book expecting a sort of general intro to Hinduism. What I instead got was a fairly technical deep dive into problems of anthropology and the history of an idea. I was pleasantly surprised.

In the end Michaels makes a short, watery, what seems almost half hearted appeal for Hinduisms potential contribution to modern western thought and culture. However I dont think this plea is necessary, as Hinduisms enduring interest to European and American thought has proven itself time and again, from Schopenhauer and the transcendentalists, to the guru craze of the 60s-70s to contemporary interest in Yoga and writers like Deepak Chopra.

[Coney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Buch war eher wissenschaftlich geschrieben, was ich in einigen Kapiteln sehr hilfreich fand, aber in anderen etwas zu komplex. Ich habe trotzdem sehr viel über hinduistische Lebensrealitäten gelernt und es bis zum Schluss gelesen, auch weil ich sonst keinen direkten Einblick in hinduistische Gesellschaften hatte, aber auf Reisen durch hinduistische Länder gereist bin. Ich hätte gerne noch mehr zum Hindu Nationalismus gelesen, aber dafür gibt es bestimmt andere Bücher :)

[Helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge.