I had written this for facebook, reproducing it here. An alternative history by wendy doniger of the university of chicago is really not a history at all. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned. Doniger provides several variants of the theme of transposed heads. The hindus an alternative history by wendy doniger. Wendy doniger however seems to me to be full of empathy and enthusiasm for the faith. Library of congress cataloginginpublication data doniger, wendy.
An alternative history book online at best prices in india on. Her courses in mythology addressed themes in crosscultural expanses, such as death, dreams, evil, horses, sex, and women. There has been much handwringing in india about wendy doniger s book, the hindus. Wendy doniger and the bhagavad gita hinduism stack exchange. S1 e4 wendy doniger on hinduism thinking about religion. Pdf the hindus an alternative history wendy doniger ripu. The hindus an alternative history is an utterly wonderful book. The rig veda by wendy doniger, 9780140449891, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. 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. She is an american indologist with dozens of publication under her name. Fight back and take back wendy donigers valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the. Controversial book, the hindus, by religious scholar wendy. 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.
In this conversation we discuss a number of themes from the book, including her own religious background, common misconceptions about hinduism, the caste system, orientalism, the socalled hindu trinity, hindu nationalism, a controversy in india over the charge. We should stand up for freedom of speech, press and religion. Since doniger does not permit the reader along other lines than what she has thought out, bolle detects here an unhealthy tendency to psychologize or personalize. In london in 2003, a protester threw an egg at university of chicago sanskrit scholar wendy doniger, who was lecturing on the popular hindu. The washington postan engrossing and definitive narrative account of history and myth, the hindus offers a new way of understanding one of the worlds oldest major religions.
Objectionable passages from wendy donigers second book on. Her chapters, or essays, give frequent and lengthy extracts from hindu scriptures in order to support her explanation. On hinduism is the culmination of over forty years of scholarship from a renowned expert on one of the worlds great faiths. May 18, 2016 american indologist wendy donigers book the hindus. Hinduism does not lend itself easily to a strictly chronological account. On hinduism download free epub, pdf 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. An alternative history, withdrawn from the indian market by penguin india, became inaccessible online on wednesday. Feb 14, 2014 wendy donigers scholarship was critiqued at a roundtable panel in hawaii for two hours. An alternative history after three, maybe four months. Wendy instead portrays the history of hinduism from the point of view of women, animals, outcasts, dalits and tribals, in her. The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india by penguins indian subsidiary, penguin india. She frames the debate over her book, as well as other topics when it comes to hinduism, as. One story is about fusing the head of a brahmin woman onto the body of a dalit woman.
She has taught at the school of oriental and african studies, university of london and the university of california, berkeley, and is currently the mircea eliade distinguished service professor of the history of religions at the university of chicago. And so i intend to go on celebrating the diversity and pluralism, not to mention the worldly wisdom and sensuality, of the hindus that i have loved for about fifty years now and still counting. 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. A critique of wendy doniger s portrayal of hinduism. This series of interconnected essays and lectures surveys the most critically important and hotly contested issues. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading on hinduism. Many of its central texts cannot be reliably dated within a century. 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. Adobe digital editions this is a free app specially developed for ebooks.
An alternative history, withdrawn from the indian market by penguin india, became inaccessible. For hinduism studies,the 21st century opens with an audacious tome by wendy doniger, the hindus. Dont miss this equivalent of a brilliant graduate course froma feisty and exhilarating teacher. Pdf the hindus an alternative history wendy doniger.
Download and read free online on hinduism by wendy doniger. Wendy doniger s the hindus is a classic example of leftliberal scholarship on hinduism. But the buying a book online feels like something of a hollow victory if hard. This book is also alternative to the narrative of hindu history that they tell. Wendy donigers on hinduism is a sort of captstone on an epic career exploring hindu literature, religion, and history. Wendy doniger s research and teaching interests revolved around two basic areas, hinduism and mythology. Feb, 2014 controversial book, the hindus, by religious scholar wendy doniger withdrawn by penguin over lawsuit penguin books india has agreed to withdraw a controversial book on hinduism as settlement for a lawsuit filed in 2011, the new york times reported. Its not the same as adobe reader, which you probably already have on your computer. I do not believe in burning books, but wendy doniger s 779page tome titled, the hindus. Wendy doniger, on hinduism, aleph book company, 20, pp. 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. Review for anyone seeking a deeper and more nuanced understanding of hinduism, this book is a must read. The doniger camp was shaken up at the vulnerability of this icon of hindu studies.
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. 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. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in india. Fight back and reclaim wendy donigers valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the fundamentalists they made a deal with. Objectionable passages from wendy donigers second book on hinduism free download as pdf file. Oct 26, 2015 wendy doniger holds two doctorates, in sanskrit and indian studies, from the universities of harvard and oxford. Jun 08, 2009 wendy doniger has made a career out of bringing a different approach to the study of indias dominant religion. As doniger points out in her statement, readers in and outside india are still free to download the hindus on kindle.
It poses no threat because it is too large, flaccid, and in the wrong place to be useful for sexual purposes. It is laced with personal editorials, folksy turn of the phrase and funky wordplays. On hinduism is the culmination of over 40 years of scholarship from a renowned expert on one of the worlds great faiths. Wendy doniger s erudite alternative history shouldnt be anyones introduction to hinduism. 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. Wendy donigers derogatory hinduism studies introduction i do not believe in burning books, but wendy donigers 779page tome titled, the hindus. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. On hinduism is the culmination of over 40 years of scholarship from. Unlike her previous work this was specifically aimed at the indian audience. The hindus an alternative history by wendy doniger penguin books november 2010 isbn10. 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. Wendy doniger and the hindus by murali balaji the new.
Feb 12, 2014 wendy doniger s book is a tribute to hinduism s complexity, not an insult. What exactly is wendy donigers agenda about the hindu. In this episode, we talk about the work of wendy doniger, who attempts to paint a binary picture of hindu history, that of trhe struggle between sanskrit and regional languages and brahmins and. Her style is direct and fresh its like hearing her in conversation, so its easy to read. The parts of hinduism that interest her are pluralistic and hybrid, full of. An alternative history 9780143116691 by wendy doniger. American indologist wendy doniger s book the hindus. It is shoddy, it peddles the lies of its predecessors and tries to convert a lie into a fact by repeating it over multiple times. Things without words, words without things page 9192 what was the relationship between the people who composed the vedas the ancient sanskrit. 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. How is wendy donigers book the hindu in its quality of.
It has seven sections based on the different themes. P enguin books india has said this week that it will destroy all available copies of the 2009 book by the indologist. Wendy doniger oflaherty born november 20, is an american indologist whose professional career has spanned five decades. 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. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or. Wendy doniger was born in new york in and trained as a dancer under shiva. Mar, 2014 the real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in india.
View or download all content the institution has subscribed to. Wendy doniger suggests that hindus would do the same to. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity. This book is a collection of essays on hinduism by the author wendy doniger. Wendy doniger oflaherty born november 20, 1940 is an american indologist whose professional career has spanned five decades. Wendy donigers the hindus recalled by penguin india time.
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. In her book, doniger retells hindu stories and provides snarky interpretations. Download the hindus an alternative history wendy doniger the problem. At a public lecture in london, england, an angry hindu threw an egg at eminent sanskritist wendy doniger. 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. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. Click download or read online button to get the origins of evil in hindu mythology book now. Ive just finished wendy donigers in famous the hindus. Wendy doniger is a celebrated indologist and has written many books on hinduism.
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. Since doniger does not permit the reader along other lines than what she has. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. As i have written before criticism of prophet, quran and islam will not make them disappear, i will repeat criticism of hinduism will not make hinduism disappear either. Indologist kees bolle has observed that doniger s approach lacks philosophical vigor that is highly visible in hinduism. 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.
An alternative history by wendy doniger ebook download from one of the world. A scholar of sanskrit and indian textual traditions, her major works include, asceticism and eroticism in the mythology of siva. Scholars and intellectuals across the board are critical and worried about penguins. If you already know the basics, this is equivalent of a brilliant graduate course from a feisty and exhilarating teacher. Dec 01, 2016 wendy donigerss anti hindu hate thesis its ganesas trunk is the displaced phallus, a caricature of sivas linga. The origins of evil in hindu mythology download ebook. Her translations for penguin classics include the rig veda, the laws of manu, and hindu. Download the hindus an alternative history wendy doniger. 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. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Wendy doniger s book is a tribute to hinduism s complexity, not an insult vijay prashad. Wendy doniger s on hinduism is a sort of captstone on an epic career exploring hindu literature, religion, and history. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in. 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.
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