Abstract
Abstract This article explores the genealogy of the “science of religion” developed by the Bengali intellectual Rajnarayan Basu (1826–1899). One of my central aims is to demonstrate that a “science of religion,” or Religionswissenschaft in the sense of Friedrich Max Müller, has emerged within a global context that was actively shaped by “non-Western” actors. To this end, I will focus on exchanges between the Indian reform movement of the Brahmo Samaj, Christian Unitarians, Transcendentalists, orientalist scholars, and members of the Theosophical Society. All these actors were concerned with the origin of religion, its modern meaning, and its function in shaping the future of society. Building on an analysis of the global exchanges revolving around these issues, special attention is paid to the inherent tensions between religious universalism and a nationalist insistence on “true religion,” which directly pertains to contested demarcations between reform and revival, or modernity and tradition.
Highlights
Strube that extend far beyond the subjects that have hitherto been studied under the label of “Western esotericism”: Michael Bergunder has argued that the debates about the meaning of “religion” and “esotericism” were inherently intertwined throughout the nineteenth century – he speaks, of their “twin birth” (Bergunder 2020b: 56)
In a subtle yet effective move, he subordinated Theosophical yoga to the superior “Raj yoga” of the Brahmos, juxtaposing the superiority of Hinduism to the inferior “European science,” of which Blavatsky might very well have been considered a representative
The crucial point is that we here see the workings of the strategy that Rajnarayan had laid out in his 1866 Prospectus: to engage with “Western” thought where it serves to prove the superiority of Indian culture
Summary
In 1866, when Keshab established his breakaway Samāj, Rajnarayan published the Prospectus of a Society for the Promotion of National Feeling among the Educated Natives of Bengal (Kopf 1974: 22; Kopf 1979: 179–180; Hatcher 1999: 106–111; Stevens 2018: Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 33 (D2o0wn2lo1a)de2d8f9ro–m3B2ri0ll.com11/08/2021 04:12:57PM
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
