Her translations for penguin classics more about wendy doniger. Wendy doniger tries to remedy the enduring impression of a unified hinduism created in large part by the first british scholars of india. I had written this for facebook, reproducing it here. On hinduism is the culmination of over forty years of scholarship from a renowned expert on one of the worlds great faiths.
An alternative history is a diachronic study of hinduism that highlights the complexity and diversity of the religion. Examines a rich array of hindu conceptspolytheism, death, gender, art, contemporary puritanism, nonviolence, and many more. 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 hinduism, enlarges our understanding. The material traces of ritual art must vanish in order that mental traces may remain intact forever, writes wendy doniger in her opus on hinduism, the hindus.
An alternative history, withdrawn from the indian market by penguin india, became inaccessible. An alternative history is the latest in a long line of incidents that show the state refusing to protect liberal values. She is an american indologist with dozens of publication under her name. Wendy doniger is one of the foremost scholars of hinduism in the world. In response to what i felt was a onesided portrayal of the events, three supporters compiled a new book, titled, invading the sacred. Apr 23, 2009 the material traces of ritual art must vanish in order that mental traces may remain intact forever, writes wendy doniger in her opus on hinduism, the hindus. She holds doctoral degrees in both sanskrit and oriental studies, and is the mircea eliade. Publishers weekly clear and direct this will stand as a reliable resource to return to frequently. Wendy doniger and the bhagavad gita hinduism stack exchange. Wendy doniger is the mircea eliade distinguished service professor of the history of religions in the divinity school at the university of chicago, where she is also a professor of south asian languages and civilizations. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned. Wendy donigers enthralling and encyclopaedic book reveals her vision of a hindu.
For those who already know and admire wendy doniger s work, this is a handy if hefty compendium of. American indologist wendy doniger s book the hindus. Wendy doniger has 73 books on goodreads with 35307 ratings. Since doniger does not permit the reader along other lines than what she. There is a depressing familiarity to the ruckus centred on american scholar wendy donigers book the hindus. Wendy donigers the hindus recalled by penguin india time. These are not the great imperial moments but episodes that give us an inkling of what religious. While in high school, she studied dance under george balanchine and martha graham she graduated summa cum laude in sanskrit and indian studies from radcliffe college in 1962, and. Penguin books india has said this week that it will destroy all available copies of the 2009 book by the indologist wendy doniger, the hindus. Wendy doniger and the hindus by murali balaji the new. Penguin books india has agreed to recall and pulp all copies in india of the hindus. 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.
An alternative history kindle edition by doniger, wendy. She and doniger have consistently ignored my requests for a live debate in public. An analysis of hinduism studies in america, and it was published in 2007. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the hindus. An alternative history, is a 2011 book from the longtime divinity professor and noted hinduism scholar that offers a new way of understanding one of the world. Mar, 2014 the real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in india. The origins of evil in hindu mythology wendy doniger. Indian publishers nervous about taking books that might. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity. Through this magisterial volume which she calls the book of my books we. Wendy donigers research and teaching interests revolve around two basic areas, hinduism and mythology. The distinct lifestyles of this hindu and that hindu may pose problems for scholars like doniger in their attempts to understand and write about hinduism, but they are hinduism s glory as.
May, 2015 wendy doniger has build her career on writing books on hinduism and she is considered to be the foremost scholar on hinduism. 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 hinduism. Unlike her previous work this was specifically aimed at the indian audience. You will see books on hinduism and buddhism and islam and sikhism and jainism and islam and christianity. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity, not an. Penguin to destroy copies of wendy donigers book the. She frames the debate over her book, as well as other topics when it comes to hinduism, as. Penguin to destroy copies of wendy doniger s book the hindus ndtv. In it, doniger reportedly argues that hinduism is not a neatly unified religion but rather the amalgamation of many. This is emphatically not a religion of any single book.
Fight back and reclaim wendy donigers valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the fundamentalists they made a deal with. Wendy doniger oflaherty is an american indologist who has written several books about hinduism and sanskrit texts. An alternative history, by university of chicago divinity school professor wendy doniger, was published in the u. Wendy doniger oflaherty is a scholar of sanskrit and indian textual traditions, her major works include, asceticism and eroticism in the mythology of siva. While in high school, she studied dance under george balanchine and martha graham she graduated summa cum laude in sanskrit and indian studies from radcliffe college in 1962, and received. An alternative history 9780143116691 by wendy doniger. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The real reason wendy doniger s book on hindus was banned in india. She presents very poor views on hinduism and mostly negative as she. Feb 03, 2014 doniger concludes with four concise autobiographical essays in which she reflects on her lifetime of scholarship, hindu criticism of her work, and the influence of hinduism on her own philosophy of life. Feb 12, 2014 wendy doniger s book is a tribute to hinduism s complexity, not an insult this article is more than 6 years old.
Vedic literature, hinduism scriptures, dharma texts, wendy doniger oflaherty, kudret emiroglu hindu mitolojisi imge kitabevi 1996. Wendy doniger social thought the university of chicago. It poses no threat because it is too large, flaccid, and in the wrong place to be useful for sexual purposes. The author, wendy doniger, has two doctorates, one in sanskrit and one in indian studies, so she is exceedingly well qualified to write meaningfully on this topic. She is the author of several translations of sanskrit texts and many books about hinduism and has taught at the school of oriental and african studies at the university of london and at. Amongst other things, here is what she says on the bhagavad gita the bhagavad gita is not as nice a book as some americans thinkthroughout the mahabharata krishna goads human beings into all sorts of murderous and selfdestructive behaviors such as war. Her research and teaching interests revolve around hinduism and mythology addressing themes such as death, dreams, evil, literature, law, gender and zoology. For those who already know and admire wendy doniger s work, this is a handy if hefty compendium of many. Wendys book was positioned as an alternative history of hinduism, since according to the author mainstream history was written. The hindus an alternative history is an utterly wonderful book. How is wendy donigers book the hindu in its quality of. Wendy doniger is a celebrated indologist and has written many books on hinduism.
Three months after aleph book company decided that american indologist wendy doniger s book on hinduism would be reprinted only after. On hinduism and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Feb 11, 2016 indian publishers nervous about taking books that might offend hindutva. 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 holds two doctorates in sanskrit and indian studies from harvard and oxford. An alternative history paperback november 30, 2010. For those who already know and admire wendy donigers work, this is a handy if hefty compendium. Dec 01, 2016 wendy donigerss anti hindu hate thesis its ganesas trunk is the displaced phallus, a caricature of sivas linga. Digital rights management drm the publisher has supplied this book in encrypted form, which means that you need to install free software in order to unlock and read it.
Wendy doniger is a distinguished indologist and scholar of sanskrit and indian textual traditions. Apr 26, 2009 during a lecture in london in 2003, doniger escaped being hit by an egg thrown by a hindu nationalist apparently angry at the sexual thrust of her interpretation of the sacred ramayana. Wendy doniger after her book was banned in india and a criminal case filed against her, the author is wary of coming to india. Feb 14, 2014 a critique of wendy doniger s portrayal of hinduism. Whats in us academic wendy doniger s latest book on hinduism that has so upset her critics. 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 book is a tribute to hinduism s complexity, not an insult this article is more than 6 years old. An alternative story about wendy doniger and the hindus. Wendy doniger oflaherty was born in new york in 1940. This book will no doubt further expose her to the fury of the modernday indian heirs of the british imperialists who invented hinduism. For anyone seeking a deeper and more nuanced understanding of hinduism, this book is a must read. There has been much handwringing in india about wendy donigers book, the hindus. While hardliners accuse doniger of reducing hindu gods to fictions. This book is a collection of essays on hinduism by the author wendy doniger.
Karma is perhaps the most famous concept in indian philosophy, but this is the first comprehensive study of its various meanings and philosophical implications. Wendy doniger on how indias sexual conservatism is a result of the british, not mughals book extract many of the englishspeaking hindus came to accept the british evaluation of hinduism, in a. Its launch video gives a good idea of our side of the. Wendy doniger is the mircea eliade distinguished service professor of the history of religions in the divinity. Using her extensive knowledge of the original texts wendy doniger reevaluates hindu culture in the light of their l impact. Wendy doniger was born in new york city to immigrant nonobservant jewish parents, and raised in great neck, new york, where her father, lester l. Includes more than 60 essays and lectures spanning the decadeslong career of one of hinduism s most prominent scholars. Right or wrong, wendy donigers the hindus should be. An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy doniger which the author describes as an alternative to the narrative of hindu.
Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in. Karma and rebirth in classical indian traditions offers a harmony of approach and an underlying set of methodological assumptions. Prasannarajan, india today anyone seriously concerned with hinduism in the contemporary world will be well advised to read, enjoy, engage and even argue with this book. Penguin books india has reportedly agreed to recall and destroy all copies in india of a book about hinduism by a u. In the light of foregoing, it is incumbent upon contemporary hindus and hindu.
Penguin withdraws controversial hinduism book huffpost. Sep 30, 2010 wendy doniger is one of the foremost scholars of hinduism in the world. An anthology, 108 hymns translated from the sanskrit. Wendy doniger s enthralling and encyclopaedic book reveals her vision of a hindu culture that is plural, varied, generous, and inclusive. Many nonhindu westerners have ideas about what hindus believe. Wendy doniger on how indias sexual conservatism is a. Wendy doniger s the hindus is a classic example of leftliberal scholarship on hinduism. The narrative sweep is epic wendy doniger, with exceptional brio, tells us how the story of hinduism continues to multiply. India bans vulgar book by university of chicago scholar. In a conversation with time, shiksha bachao andolan president dinanath batra explains why he thinks doniger s book hurts hindu sentiments and is propagating lies about hindu deities and national. Jan 07, 2016 for anyone seeking a deeper and more nuanced understanding of hinduism, this book is a must read. Dec 16, 2017 contemporary india is an uneasy, volatile mix. The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india by penguins indian subsidiary, penguin india.
The right wing muslims made such a fuss about salman rushdie, most of them did not even read the book satanic verses, or even know that it was in english. Jun 15, 2014 three months after aleph book company decided that american indologist wendy donigers book on hinduism would be reprinted only after issues raised by the shiksha bachao andolan samiti sbas. An alternative history book online at best prices in india on. May 07, 20 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 hinduism, enlarges our understanding. Censorship by the batra brigade nyr, may 8, wendy doniger touches on a number of issues when it comes to the academic study of religion and larger questions of representation. An alternative history narain kataria in new york a consortium of hindu organizations, temples and concerned individuals in new york and new jersey area organized a protest demonstration at. Karma and rebirth in classical indian traditions by wendy. For those who already know and admire wendy doniger s work, this is a handy if hefty compendium. Hinduism, in her view, is an intricate weave of the diverse localities and communities of indian culture. A critique of wendy doniger s portrayal of hinduism. The origins of evil in hindu mythology by wendy doniger o. Buy the paperback book the norton anthology of world religions.
If wendy doniger is so explicit about waging a war against the bjp and associates, then. 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. About wendy doniger oflahertys translation of the rig. 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. Her courses in mythology address themes in crosscultural expanses, such as death, dreams, evil, horses, sex, and women. Like some of her predecessors, she appreciates the sexual freedom involved, but then she also tends to stress two aspects. It has seven sections based on the different themes. With her inimitable insight and expertise doniger illuminates those moments within the tradition that resist forces that would standardize or establish a canon. What exactly is wendy donigers agenda about the hindu. Hinduism does not lend itself easily to a strictly chronological account.
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