Academic Journal Book Review

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International Journal of Hindu Studies 12, 1 (2008)

Book Reviews

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{From Pages 96-98} 

Krishnan Ramaswamy, Antonio de Nicolas, and Aditi Banerjee, eds., Invading the

Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America. New Delhi: Rupa, 2007. 545 pages.

Reviewed by Prof Anantanand Rambachan, Dept. of Religious Studies, Saint Olaf College, Northfield.

One of the significant features of a developing American Hinduism is the deepening

concern, in many sectors of the community, over the content and methodology of

teaching about the Hindu tradition in high schools and colleges. This is, in part, a

direct consequence of the increasing numbers of children of Hindu immigrant

parents entering American classrooms. Parents are concerned that misleading and

negative information about the Hindu tradition will lead to religious and cultural

self-rejection and alienation in a new generation of American Hindus. Recent years

have witnessed controversies, often bitter, over the content of school textbooks

treating the history and teachings of Hinduism. The California Textbook Controversy

is only the most recent example.

Hindu concern with American academia focuses on a number of broad and interrelated

issues, highlighted and woven into the four sections of Invading the Sacred.

Prominent among these are claims of an undue emphasis on the negative features of

the Hindu tradition and its consequent belittling, insensitivity for the practitioner,

and disregard for his or her self-understanding and an unwillingness to acknowledge

the distinctive contributions of India to world civilization. There is also the concern

that the methods and assumptions that inform the study of Hinduism in American

academia are either Eurocentric or more appropriate to traditions such as Christianity,

Judaism, and Islam (123–31). Of particular concern, as far as methodology is

concerned, is what Invading the Sacred refers to as the “complete Freudianization

of Indological parlance, or lingo by a small band of academics. This phenomenon

has advanced to such an extent that words and phrases like ‘castration,’ ‘flaccidpenis,’

‘sexual-fantasy,’ ‘erect-penis,’ and such have become a sort of lingua franca

through which the intellectual inter-course of closely-related scholars achieves effect

in their academic publications” (195). These problems are compounded by the fact

that most of the teachers of Hinduism in American academia are not Hindus.

There can be little doubt about the importance and legitimacy of many of the

Book Reviews / 97

concerns raised by the authors of Invading the Sacred about the academic study of

Hinduism in the United States. Eurocentric approaches need to be challenged,

corrected, and informed by methods that are closer to the character of the tradition

and better express its unique orientations and weltanschauung. In their interpretation

of the Hindu tradition, scholars and teachers need to be more attentive to the selfunderstanding

of the practitioner and to find ways of incorporating their experiences

and perspectives. We need to acknowledge the fact that the intellectual and cultural

achievements of non-Western societies have yet to be properly highlighted in high

school and college textbooks and that the request from Hindus for a more affirming

and accurate portrayal of the tradition is legitimate and just. At the same time, it is

equally important that Hindus do not expect scholars of the tradition to represent the

Hindu past and elements of the present as entirely irenic in character. Hindus, like

people everywhere, are not exempt from the corruptions of power and privilege, and

oppressive structures, such as those of caste and patriarchy, must not be overlooked

or explained away. The voices and faces of the oppressed and marginalized must not

be silenced or banished in the interest of presenting an acceptable tradition consistent

with the aspirations and self-image of the Hindu community in the United States.

The challenging of the religious academy and the call for accountability will gain

credibility when infused with the intellectual and moral virtue of self-criticism.

Readers of Invading the Sacred need also to be aware of the enduring contributions

of scholars in the academy who have enriched our understanding of the Hindu

tradition through dedicated scholarship and teaching and whose work sustains an

interest in the academic study of Hinduism that is unmatched elsewhere in the world.

These are researchers and teachers who balance the rigorous demands of scholarly

inquiry with a deep appreciation of the tradition and respect and sensitivity towards

its practitioners. It is necessary to acknowledge the fact that most scholars of

Hinduism are not Hindu-phobic or committed to the intentional denigration of the

tradition and its followers.

While acknowledging the legitimacy of concerns about the teaching of Hinduism

and the appropriateness of articulating these in conversation with the academy,

Hindus must be careful not to look to the departments of Religious Studies for the

formation and nurturing of the Hindu faith in a new generation of Hindus. There is a

clearly felt need in a new context, where the transmission of the tradition from one

generation to another cannot be taken for granted and the challenges of being a

religious and cultural minority are acutely experienced. The study of religion in

faculties of humanities and social sciences is pursued within the demands of the

goals and interests of these respective disciplines and the tensions that are experienced

between those who study religion in this way and the needs of faithful are not

unique to the Hindu tradition. Along with engaging the academy, Hindus in the

United States must work vigorously to build institutions and offer opportunities to

young Hindus where Hindu identity is meaningfully cultivated and encouraged. In

this task, Hinduism can learn from the efforts of other traditions facing similar

challenges.

98 / International Journal of Hindu Studies 12, 1 (2008)

Invading the Sacred may be the documented response that begins a productive

dialogue between community and academy about the study and teaching of the

Hindu tradition. Like the dialogues of ancient India, this one also can be enlightening

if sweeping generalizations are avoided, if the concerns of both sides are

respected and if the insights scholarship and the fruits of practice and faith are seen

as complementary and mutually enriching.

Anantanand Rambachan Saint Olaf College, Northfield