Representing Hinduism: The Construction of Religious Traditions and National Identity

A wide range of issues covering the changing face of Hinduism are discussed in this book including: the Sanskritic traditions in the religious configurations of medieval India; the legal and religious repercussions of colonial rule; the history of Hinduism; and the constitution of Hindu tradition as part of a political agenda. Further chapters discuss developments in the post-independence phase, constitutional entanglements concerning religious identity, communal images and counter-images, the appropriation of ′folk′ religions by Hinduism, and the re-mythologization of history. Emphasizing the plurality of traditions within Hinduism, the book shows how selective choices have determined perceptions of the alien and the self.