Read in the NYTimes that Modi is set to win in India, which possibly marks a shift towards traditional Hindu values in some aspects of government (although, like Obama, I think it may mostly be symbolic). It seems, from reading the article, that many conservative Hindus take issue with Wendy Donigers book The Hindus: An Alternative History, such that banning it has become a rallying cry for Modi supporters. I googled it, and was able to view it online for free. I spent about 45 minutes reading it, and found the level of scholarship pretty suspect in parts, with several blatant errors already. I also found her writing deliberately provocative at times, and in some of her interpretations, she goes so far out on a limb it almost seems like performance art - not a balanced, thoughtful analysis. It is pretty readable in a conversational kind of way, and there are some ok summaries, but even in the short time I spent with it, I can see that its not a very good or reliable history of the Hindus. Its a shame that such a weak book allows her to bask in the indignant glow of the Western intelligentsia... nybooks/articles/archives/2014/may/08/india-censorship-batra-brigade/
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 02:55:10 +0000
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