Abstract In the early twentieth century, Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism, was a philosophy premised on exclusivist notions of "nation-ness" and "nation-state-ness." India, proponents claimed, had since the earliest times been the pitrabhumi and the punyabhumi of Hindus--their fatherland and holy land. This ideal realm was corrupted by Muslim and Christian "invaders," foreigners who defiled and split asunder "Akhand Hindustan," the one India of Hindus. In the context of British rule of the subcontinent, Hindu nationalists mirrored colonial claims and held up the native princely states as exemplars of "tradition," as territories unspoiled by foreign hands and thus representative of the "true India." The idea behind Akhand Hindustan came from a prominent member of the princely state bureaucracy, K. M. Munshi. Here the author explores how and why princely states were idealized in the Hindu imaginary and what role reformers, particularly Munshi, played in perpetuating this hard-line ideology. By exploring the regions on which early Hindu nationalism was mapped, the author illuminates the teleology of Hindutva while providing a better understanding of the place of princely states in the politics and society of colonial India. Show
Journal Information For 56 years, The Journal of Asian Studies has been recognized as the most authoritative and prestigious publication in the field of Asian Studies. This quarterly has been published regularly since November 1941, offering Asianists a wealth of information unavailable elsewhere. Each issue contains four to five feature articles on topics involving the history, arts, social sciences, philosophy, and contemporary issues of East, South, and Southeast Asia, as well as a large book review section. Publisher Information Formed in 1941, the Association for Asian Studies--the largest society of its kind in the world--is a scholarly, non-political, and non-profit professional association open to all persons interested in Asia. It seeks through publications, meetings, and seminars to facilitate contact and an exchange of information among scholars to increase their understanding of East, South, and Southeast Asia. For further information about AAS activities, publications, and membership, please see the AAS website: http://www.asian-studies.org. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. You should read enough of the materials presented in this section concerning the tradition of Hinduism in order to understand how this tradition displays the characteristics or elements that make a tradition one that would be termed a �religion. The tradition presented in the materials below is one of the world�s living religions. You reading should indicate why this is so. � THE ABSOLUTE: what do the believers hold as most important? What is the ultimate source of value and significance? For many, but not all religions, this is given some form of agency and portrayed as a deity (deities). It might be a concept or ideal as well as a figure. � THE WORLD: What does the belief system say about the world? Its origin? its relation to the Absolute? Its future? � HUMANS: Where do they come from? How do they fit into the general scheme of things? What is their destiny or future? � THE PROBLEM FOR HUMANS: What is the principle problem for humans that they must learn to deal with and solve? � THE SOLUTION FOR HUMANS: How are humans to solve or overcome the fundamental problems ? � COMMUNITY AND ETHICS: What is the moral code as promulgated by the religion? What is the idea of community and how humans are to live with one another? � AN INTERPRETATION OF HISTORY: Does the religion offer an explanation for events occurring in time? Is there a single linear history with time coming to an end or does time recycle? Is there a plan working itself out in time and detectable in the events of history? � RITUALS AND SYMBOLS: What are the major rituals, holy days, garments, ceremonies and symbols? � LIFE AFTER DEATH: What is the explanation given for what occurs after death? Does he religion support a belief in souls or spirits which survive the death of the body? What is the belief in what occurs afterwards? Is there a resurrection of the body? Reincarnation? Dissolution? Extinction? � RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER RELIGIONS: What is the prescribed manner in which believers are to regard other religions and the followers of other religions? ********************************************************** For those who wish to listen to information on the world's religions here is a listing of PODCASTS on RELIGIONS by Cynthia Eller. If you have iTunes on your computer just click and you will be led to the listings. http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=117762189&s=143441Here is a link to the site for the textbook REVEALING WORLD RELIGIONS related to which these podcasts were made. http://thinkingstrings.com/Product/WR/index.html ************************************************************
Special thanks to the Microsoft Corporation for their contribution to our site. The information above came from Microsoft Encarta. Here is a hyperlink to the Microsoft Encarta home page. http://www.encarta.msn.com Which of the following pieces of evidence most strongly supports the authors arguments about the quality of the highways?Which of the following pieces of evidence most strongly supports the author's arguments about the quality of the highways described in the passage? They were very broad, and some extended across the entire kingdom.
Which of the following is true of commerce in the Indian Ocean during the time period 1000 to 1450?Which of the following is true of commerce in the Indian Ocean during the time period 1000-1450? Chinese merchants dominated the trade routes of the Indian Ocean. Indian Ocean commerce flourished and was conducted by a mixture of Asian, Middle Eastern, and East African merchants.
What was the most important factor in the spread of the bubonic plague in Eurasia?Flea. Though historically rats have been blamed for the spread of the bubonic plague in the medieval pandemic of the Black Death, it was in fact the humble flea that spread this bacterial infection to humans and animals alike.
Which of the following made possible the Chinese cultivation of the staple?Which of the following made possible the Chinese cultivation of the staple crops described in the passage? The intensification of regional trade networks in East and South Asia.
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