Hinduphobia in academia
 | The neutrality of this article is disputed. (October 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
Hinduphobia in academic circles is a narrative discourse which "typically portrays Hinduism exclusively as an oppressive and regressive tradition, inextricably bound up with social institutions like caste and patriarchy. In this discourse, positive and progressive aspects of Hindu traditions—such as those which question or oppose caste prejudice or male chauvinism—are either ignored or attributed to outside, non-Hindu influences[1]".
Accusations[edit]
Faulting Hinduism[edit]
Indologist Jeffrey Long argues that Hinduphobia in academia "is not simply a critique of Hinduism" but "a deeply embedded and very often unexamined set of assumptions pervading some, though not all, academic writing on Hinduism...hinduphobic discourse... follows a circular logic, in which the conclusion has already been built into the premises: that, whatever the problem or issue in question, Hindus and Hinduism are at fault.."[2]
Revisiting History[edit]
Historian Audrey Truschke's views on the genocide of Hindus and destruction of Hindu temples by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb have also been criticized[3] and called Hinduphobic[4]. Truschke defended her views by stating "My book looks at Aurangzeb as part of an Indian dynasty in all its complexities and nuances. I don’t ask if he was good or bad; that’s not an interesting historical question"[5]. Rutgers - Newark responded that it "affirms [its] support... for the Hindu community" while "fostering full, open, and respectful engagement on ideas across this spectrum".[6]
Aryan race portrayals[edit]
Vamsee Juluri mentions that in academia "the most vile and baseless writing too is deemed acceptable against Hindus", while maintaining that “we need to respect Dalit and subaltern positions outside of the orientalist colonial Aryan sort of myths that surround them at the moment.”[7] He has also criticized the replacement of the word "Indian" or "Hindu" with "South Asian" in school textbooks as "extreme" and "unjustified".
Criticisms[edit]
Martha Nussbaum states that "For about 20 years at least, members of the Hindu community in the U.S. have been carrying on a well-funded campaign to substitute an ideological Hindu-right version of Indian history for serious historical scholarship." and that Indian immigrants are "sensitive to perceived insults to India’s history or Hinduism by (as the narrative goes) “callous American orientalist scholars”."[8]
De Roover agrees that Juluri "rightly points out" that "something is rotten in the study of Hinduism" but asserts that Hinduphobia "is more of an empty label than a well-developed concept."[9]
While Anantanand Rambachan states that "There is this concern -- what happens to a tradition or how is it taught when the majority of its teachers don’t have an existential commitment to the tradition," he maintains that "demonization of the academy" by some Hindu groups is not justified.[8]
References[edit]
- ↑ Long, Jeffrey (2017-12-01). "Reflections on Hinduphobia: A Perspective from a Scholar-Practitioner". Prabuddha Bharata.
- ↑ Long, Jeffrey D. "Reflections on Hinduphobia: A perspective from a scholar-practitioner" (PDF). Prabuddha Bharata or Awakened India. 121(12): 797–804.
- ↑ February 19, Utpal Kumar/Mail Today; February 19, 2017UPDATED:; Ist, 2017 15:27. "Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth by Audrey Truschke fails to drive home the message". India Today. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
- ↑ "Rutgers Must Condemn Professor's Hinduphobia". The Emory Wheel. 2019-10-30. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
- ↑ publications, Lawrence Lerner // Faculty; history; India; Arts; Sciences. "Historian Finds Herself at the Center of India's Hindu-Muslim Conflict | Rutgers University - Newark". www.newark.rutgers.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
- ↑ "Professor faces petition after comments about Hindutva". The Daily Targum. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
- ↑ reddy, u sudhakar (2016-04-09). "Setting records straight". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Scholars who study Hinduism and India face hostile climate". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
- ↑ De Roover, Jakob (2016). "On the Road to Renaissance?". Hindu Studies. 20: 373–383 – via JSTOR.
This article "Hinduphobia in academia" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Hinduphobia in academia. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
