An alternative history, by the usbased academic wendy doniger, as. A better title would have been, wendy doniger s adharma. Fight back and reclaim wendy doniger s valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the fundamentalists they made a deal with. With immense skill wendy doniger illuminates those moments within the hindu tradition that resist forces that would standardize or establish a canon. A critique of wendy donigers the hindus, an alternative.
P enguin books india has said this week that it will destroy all available copies of the 2009 book by the indologist wendy doniger, the hindus. The earliest of the four hindu religious scriptures known as the vedas, and the first extensive composition to survive in any indoeuropean language, the rig veda c. Blowing up the sexuality and inconsistencies present in any ancient religious text out of all proportions, doniger published the book as if to offer an alternative history against the established wisdom of the times. The origins of evil in hindu mythology wendy doniger. Wendy doniger unfortunately, currently and we dont possess any info on the musician wendy doniger. Wendy doniger dropped a bombshell on indian intellectual circles with her 2009 book the hindus an alternative history. Hindus frequently and facilely combine it with the second. An alternative history is the latest in a long line of incidents that show the state refusing to protect liberal values. This series of interconnected essays and lectures surveys the most critically important and hotly contested issues in hinduism over 3,500 years, from the ancient time of the vedas to the present day. Aims of life in the hindu imaginary chapter 9 women and ogresses in the ramayana 400 bce to 200 ce chapter 10 violence in the mahabharata 300 bce to 300 ce chapter 11 dharma in the mahabharata 300 bce to 300 ce chapter 12 escape clauses in the shastras 100 bce to 400 ce chapter bhakti in. It was imposed by the british on the hindus in order to shield islam from criticism. A careful definition is sharper f or doniger s t urn o f phrase. Buy wendy doniger ebooks to read online or download in pdf or epub on your pc, tablet or mobile device.
Penguin india agrees to withdraw and destroy all copies of. Quite clearly, the title of the chapter does not fit the contents. Questioning wendy doniger on hinduism in hawaii at annual. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the the hindus, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. She brings a multiplicity of actors and stories to the stage to show how brilliant, creativeand often subversivethinkers have kept hinduism alive and dynamic through the ages. An alternative history and its sexualization of hindu gods and goddesses. Hinduism, in her view, is an intricate weave of the diverse localities and communities of indian culture. The hindus, an alternative history by wendy doniger. Wendy doniger social thought the university of chicago. If it available for your country it will shown as book reader and user fully subscribe will benefit by having full access to all. The goal of this chapter is to examine the hindu understanding of ahimsa or nonviolence by comparing the personalities of yudishthira in the mahabharata and the mauryan emperor ashoka. Wendy doniger s research and teaching interests revolve around two basic areas, hinduism and mythology.
Doniger s book is witty, but very misleading, and demeaning to the hindus. Through this magisterial volume which she calls the book of my books wendy doniger, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest and most original scholars of. Seventythreeyearold doniger is an american jewish indologist who has been a professor at the university of chicago since 1978. Pretending that vedanta is the essence of hinduism. Wendy doniger oflaherty born november 20, 1940 is an american indologist whose professional career has spanned five decades. Scholars and intellectuals across the board are critical and worried about penguins. Penguin books india agreed this week to withdraw from sale and pulp all copies of the hindus. A rightwing religious group criticized wendy doniger s 2009 book, the hindus. There is a depressing familiarity to the ruckus centred on american scholar wendy doniger s book the hindus. Wendy doniger tries to remedy the enduring impression of a unified hinduism created in large part by the first british scholars of india. Questioning wendy doniger on hinduism in hawaii at annual conference of association of asian studies aas, march 31april 3, 2011 bharat gupt wendy doniger s scholarship was critiqued at a roundtable panel in hawaii for two hours. Pdf the hindus an alternative history wendy doniger. There is no room here for hindus, only an expert on the hindus.
Thus the hindu view of evil comes out as something not simplistic and arbitrary but as an approach which is careful, complex, and richly eclectic. One story is about fusing the head of a brahmin woman onto the body of a dalit woman. Her courses in mythology address themes in crosscultural expanses, such as death, dreams, evil, horses, sex, and women. Pdf the hindus an alternative history wendy doniger ripu. The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india by penguins indian subsidiary, penguin india the book was criticized in india, and in february 2014 it was the subject of litigation in. Fight back and take back wendy donigers valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the fundamentalists they made a. There has been much handwringing in india about wendy doniger s book, the hindus. You will see no hindus except by token of name perhaps. This is a republication of a 2010 essay is authored by shyam n. Quotes from wendy donigers the hindus learn religions. A scholar of sanskrit and indian textual traditions, her major works include, asceticism and eroticism in the mythology of siva. The earliest of the four hindu religious scriptures known as the vedas, and the first extensive composition to survive in any indoeuropean language, the rig. American interpreters of sanskrit texts, wendy doniger, is harshly. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity.
Wendy doniger oflaherty born november 20, is an american indologist whose professional career has spanned five decades. Penguin india agrees to withdraw and destroy all copies of an american scholars book on hindus. However, wed enjoy for those who have any kind of information about the idea, and are also able to offer the idea. An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy doniger which the author describes as an alternative to the narrative of hindu history that they tell. In the light of foregoing, it is incumbent upon contemporary hindus and hindu scholars to regain the initiative and using indigenous historiography and cognitive categories and to institute a framework to generate in multiple volumes a genuine and authentic history of the hindus from an insiders perspective. She frames the debate over her book, as well as other topics when it comes to hinduism, as one between hindu rightwing activists and scholars. Hindu and greek mythologies teem with stories of women and men who are doubled, who double themselves, who are seduced by gods doubling as mortals, whose bodies are split or divided.
Instead of joining a controversial and unorthodox christian movement, roy established his own. We also have each of the look at, of course, if everything usually are accurate, we are going to post on the website. The hindus an alternative history by wendy doniger penguin books november 2010 isbn10. Wendy doniger s the hindus, an alternative history penguin books 2009 by vishal agarwal aldous huxley once said that an intellectual was someone who had found something more interesting than sex. Debendranath tagore merged his tattvabodhini sabha with ram. Doniger provides several variants of the theme of transposed heads. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book.
Ive labored all my adult life in the paddy fields of sanskrit, doniger has written 16 books, translated primarily from sanskrit to english with commentary nine other volumes, has contributed to many edited texts and has written hundreds of articles in journals, magazines and newspapers. Wendy doniger was born in new york in and trained as a dancer under shiva. Dinanath batra has armtwisted publisher penguin india into recalling and destroying american scholar wendy doniger s book, the hindus. In particular, it provokes anxiety in those hindus who are sometimes called hindu nationalists, or the hindu right, or rightwing hindus, or the hindutva hinduness faction, or, more approximately, hindu fundamentalists. Outcry as penguin india pulps alternative history of hindus. Hindu stories different from other versions of the story told in other cultures. An alternative history penguin, 2009 has outraged hindus around the world for allegedly insulting and offending hindus and indians. But american indologists including wendy doniger have always. In her book, doniger retells hindu stories and provides snarky interpretations. You will find top of the line seculars who will equate any critique of racism and orientalism against hindus with hindu fundamentalism. Wendy doniger and the hindus by murali balaji the new. An engrossing and definitive narrative account of history and myth that offers a new way of understanding one of the worlds oldest major religions, the hindus elucidates the relationship between recorded history and imaginary worlds. An alternative history by wendy doniger of the university of chicago is really not a history at all. In this magisterial volume of essays, wendy doniger enhances our understanding of the ancient and complex religion to which she has devoted herself for half a century.
Wendy doniger s enthralling and encyclopaedic book reveals her vision of a hindu culture that is plural, varied, generous, and inclusive. Wendy doniger has impressive credentials with two doctorates, in sanskrit and indian studies, from harvard and oxford universities. Hindus nowadays are diverse in their attitude to their own diversity, which inspires pride in some, anxiety in others. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned. In splitting the difference, the renowned scholar of mythology wendy doniger recounts and compares a vast range of these tales from ancient greece and india, with occasional recourse to more recent double. And so i intend to go on celebrating the diversity and pluralism, not to mention the worldly wisdom and sensuality, of the hindus that i have loved for about fifty years now and still counting. Wendy doniger in when the lingam is just a cigar, psychoanalysis and hindu sexual fantasies. This is a highly readable volume written with verve, sparkle and occasional light touches of decent humor. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
780 938 592 1105 1419 682 1383 1006 1080 1254 554 1376 493 689 1221 1381 1023 1484 211 1126 1167 179 1115 269 594 559 1380 1431 706 1011 1187 1486 85 790 674