Orientalism and Religion: Post-Colonial Theory, India and "The Mystic East" / Edition 1

by Richard King

Overview

Orientalism and Religion offers us a timely discussion of the implications of contemporary post-colonial theory for the study of religion. Richard King examines the way in which notions such as mysticism, religion, Hinduism and Buddhism are taken for granted. He shows us how religion needs to be reinterpreted along the lines of cultural studies. Drawing on a variety of post-structuralist and post-colonial thinkers, such as Foucault, Gadamer, Said, and Spivak, King provides us with a challenging series of reflections on the nature of Religious Studies and Indology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415202572
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/15/1999
Pages:	294
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Richard King teaches Religious Studies at the University of Stirling. He is the author of Early Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Chapter 1 The power of definition; Chapter 2 Disciplining religion; Chapter 3 Sacred texts, hermenetics and world religions; Chapter 4 Orientalism and Indian religions; Chapter 5 The modern myth of ‘Hinduism’; Chapter 6 ‘Mystic Hinduism’; Chapter 7 Orientalism and the discovery of ‘Buddhism’; Chapter 8 The politics of privatization; Chapter 9 Beyond Orientalism? Notes Bibliography Index;

Editorial Reviews

'Its restained and well-mannered passion and its balance of scholarly consideration and intellectual concern, make this book well worth reading.' - World Faith Encounters

‘It represents an erudite and important contribution to debate on the relationship between colonialism and the Academy' - Clinton Bennett, Modern Believing

‘for those of us who concentrate on India, on her history, culture, religions and on her contemporay search for post-colonial identity, King's religious studies contribution may actually displace Said'

From the Publisher

Discusses the implications of contemporary postcolonial theory for the study of religion. Examines the way in which notions such as "mysticism," "religion," "Hinduism," and "Buddhism" are taken for granted, and shows how "religion" might be redescribed in terms of cultural studies, drawing on a variety of post-structuralist and postcolonial thinkers including Foucault, Gadamer, Said, and Spivak. The author is a reader in religious studies at the University of Stirling, Scotland. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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