European Constructions

Abstract

The phrase “European constructions of Hinduism” is one that has acquired meaning only since the late 20th century, in the wake of Edward Said’s groundbreaking work Orientalism (Said 1978, cited under Foundational Works on the Postcolonial Study of India), the subaltern-studies movement in India, and the consequent wave of postcolonial studies. Such movements have raised the question of whether it is possible to have an undistorted, scientific knowledge of something called Hinduism; indeed, of whether such an entity exists. This article, without assuming to resolve such debates, traces some of the concrete historical stages in the representation of Hinduism by Europeans. It is neither a survey of Hinduism nor a survey of the European encounter with India per se. We begin with key theoretical works of postcolonial studies and historical surveys; continue with an extended, chronologically—and topically—organized overview of significant primary sources; and add sections on various, special themes in the European construction of Hinduism (such as sati and caste). An effort is made to include key agents, including early explorers and travel writers, colonial officials, missionaries, and scholars. The initial period is marked by a confusion of terms used to describe Hindus (“Banians,” “Gentoos”); by a certain sensationalism and diversity of description, which it is sometimes difficult to reconcile with the Hinduism revealed by later accounts; and by an imposition of Christian categories in which Indian religions are classified as “idolatry” or “paganism” and are ordered according to biblical chronology and sacred history. With the beginning of more systematic study of India by European scholars following the consolidation of British colonial rule, a more stable image of Hinduism developed gradually. This article covers the historical period until 1900. After this point in time, literature proliferates but adds little to the general picture. This is also the period addressed by most of the secondary works, especially those produced in postcolonial studies. In addition to key secondary works, many primary sources from the period in question have been included, for several reasons: (1) secondary accounts of colonial constructions overlap extensively, (2) inclusion of the primary works better illustrates the stages of development and variations in the European understanding of Hinduism, and (3) primary works are becoming increasingly accessible to a prospective reader online, rendering reference to such works more useful. Although, from the mid-18th century onward, English primary sources are the most numerous and important, due to the dominance of Britain as the main colonial power on the subcontinent, an effort has been made to include representative sources from a few other western European traditions. A small number of American primary sources are included also.