The hindus an alternative history by wendy doniger penguin books november 2010 isbn10. Objectionable passages from wendy donigers second book on hinduism free download as pdf file. 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. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity, not an insult.
This is not a pipe rene magritte this is not wendy donigers the. For them, neoved antic hinduism is the only hinduism, or alternatively, is the only hinduism that matters. Hindus can expand the words and meanings of symbols that are often seen daily. 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. 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. 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. As doniger points out in her statement, readers in and outside india are still free to download the hindus on kindle.
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. But the buying a book online feels like something of a hollow victory if hard. To download the pdf, click the download link above. She is the author of several translations of sanskrit texts, including penguin classics editions of hindu myths and the rig veda, as well as many books about hinduism. An alternative history by wendy doniger of the university of chicago is really not a history at all. She is an american indologist with dozens of publication under her name. Wendy doniger social thought the university of chicago. The hindus an alternative history is an utterly wonderful book. Includes more than 60 essays and lectures spanning the decadeslong career of one of hinduisms most prominent scholars. Doniger provides several variants of the theme of transposed heads. Vedic literature, hinduism scriptures, dharma texts, wendy doniger oflaherty, kudret emiroglu hindu mitolojisi imge kitabevi 1996. The latest twist in the tale is the notice served to aleph book company, the publisher of donigers previous book, on hinduism. If you are drawn to read wendy donigers the hindus as i was because you see in hinduism an example of a culturalspiritual tradition that has managed to keep alive right into modern times a view of a sacred universe sacred time, sacred geography, sacred cosmology, sacred social customs and social roles, sacred geometry and.
The title of donigers book an alternative history is problematic. An alternative history after three, maybe four months. Wendy donigers book on hinduism 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. Fight back and take back wendy donigers valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the. In her book, doniger retells hindu stories and provides snarky interpretations. Textual sources for the study of hinduism textual sources for the study of religion, issn 17592739. Yet for a scholar like doniger whom the critics refer to patronisingly as wendy, it is often the little known, the secret, the repressed, that constitute the most attractive objects of study. P enguin books india has said this week that it will destroy all available copies of the 2009 book by the indologist. Unlike her previous work this was specifically aimed at the indian audience. It contains more references than most students of hinduism, or even practicing hindus would be aware of though its author compares the task of looking at endnotes to dogs sniffing each others. The hindus is the name of a real book, and has won the admiration and praise of real critics, writers, activists, and scholars. Wendy donigers research and teaching interests revolve around two basic areas, hinduism and mythology. Pdf the hindus an alternative history wendy doniger. Download hinduism ebook for free in pdf and epub format.
Wendy donigers compendious account of religious traditions that constitute. The latest twist in the tale is the notice served to aleph book company, the publisher of doniger s previous book, on hinduism. Pdf the hindus an alternative history wendy doniger ripu. One story is about fusing the head of a brahmin woman onto the body of a dalit woman. Ive just finished wendy donigers in famous the hindus. This is not wendy donigers the hindus an alternative history. Alternatively, you can download the pdf file directly to your computer, from where it can be opened using a pdf reader. Wendy doniger, on hinduism, aleph book company, 20, pp. On hinduism is the culmination of over forty years of scholarship from a renowned expert on one of the worlds great faiths. Wendy doniger oflaherty born november 20, is an american indologist whose professional career has spanned five decades. In this magisterial volume of essays, wendy doniger enhances our understanding of the ancient and complex religion to. Wendy doniger holds doctorates in sanskrit and indian studies from harvard and oxford. Examines a rich array of hindu conceptspolytheism, death, gender, art, contemporary puritanism, nonviolence, and many more.
Her translations for penguin classics include the rig veda, the laws of. Wendy doniger tries to remedy the enduring impression of a unified hinduism created in large part by the first british scholars of india. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in india. Yet the greatness of hinduismits vitality, its earthiness, its vividnesslies precisely in many of those idiosyncratic qualities that continue to inspire debate today. After half a century of studying and engaging with hinduism, im not about to be silenced by a few bad eggs, academic wendy doniger wrote in her latest book on hinduism, published last year. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in. 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. The narrative sweep is epicwendy doniger, with exceptional brio, tells us how the story of hinduism continues to multiply. Library of congress cataloginginpublication data doniger, wendy. Wendy donigers foundational study is both modern in its engagement with a diverse range of religions and refreshingly classic in its transhistorical, cross. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity. 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. This series of interconnected essays and lectures surveys the most critically important and hotly contested issues. 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.
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. Wendy doniger was born in new york in and trained as a dancer under shiva. Wendy doniger, one of the worlds foremost scholars of hinduism, illuminates those moments within the tradition that resist forces that would standardize or establish a canon. 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. Wendy donigers the hindus recalled by penguin india time. The notice demanded that the publisher withdraw this book too. Textual sources for the study of hinduism wendy doniger. Questioning wendy doniger on hinduism in hawaii at annual conference of association of asian studies aas, march 31april 3, 2011 bharat gupt. Lipners book is a highly readable study of its evolution, its multidimensional nature, and influence. Fight back and reclaim wendy donigers valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the fundamentalists they made a deal with. Her courses in mythology address themes in crosscultural expanses, such as death, dreams, evil, horses, sex, and women. This book is a collection of essays on hinduism by the author wendy doniger. I found it noteworthy out of 44 essays 10 are explicitly about sex. Hinduism has been a major religious faith for well over 3000 years, and hindus today account for over 600 million people.
Rare ancient hinduism books to download all pdf vedic. Wendy donigers derogatory hinduism studies introduction i do not believe in burning books, but wendy donigers 779page tome titled, the hindus. It has seven sections based on the different themes. 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. The origins of evil in hindu mythology download ebook. 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. Objectionable passages from wendy donigers second book on. Information about the openaccess article wendy doniger, on hinduism in doaj. It suggests the hinduism she is chronicling is a shadow version of some other more mainstream narrative.
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