About the Book
AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF VIVEKANANDA’S FORMULATION OF HINDUISM AS A RELIGION.
The truth is rarely simple. The common consensus is that Swami Vivekananda, as Sri Ramakrishna’s chosen disciple, spread his master’s message across the world. The fact, though, is that after Ramakrishna’s death in 1886, Vivekananda not only shifted the devotional emphasis of the new monastic order from Kali to Shiva but also embraced a world far removed from Ramakrishna’s—a world that was rational, scientific, masculine, orthodox and nationalistic.
The essays in this volume examine Vivekananda’s formulation of Hinduism as religion: the most definitive restatement of Hinduism in modern history. Erudite yet accessible, consistently probing and sceptical of hoary traditions, controversial and thought-provoking, A Restatement of Religion is an invaluable addition to the existing scholarship on one of India’s greatest religious and social icons.
About the Author
Jyotirmaya Sharma is professor of political science at the University of Hyderabad, India. His other books include A Restatement of Religion: Swami Vivekananda and the Making of Hindu Nationalism; Terrifying Vision: M.S. Golwalkar, the RSS and India and an edited volume titled Grounding Morality: Freedom, Knowledge and the Plurality of Cultures (co-edited with A. Raghuramaraju). He has been a visiting fellow and lecturer at many prestigious universities and research centres, both in India and abroad. He has also held senior editorial positions at The Times of India and The Hindu from 1998–2006, and continues to write occasional columns.
Review
‘A book of substance and importance, written in an engaging, straightforward style, illuminated by flashes of wit and, of course, by the author’s deep knowledge of the cultural background and historical record. Sharma’s scholarship is sound, well-presented, and well-presented. His book will become the classic statement about Vivekananda in this generation.’ — DAVID SHULMAN
‘Writing with a rare kind of sensitivity ... [Sharma] has woven together the most sophisticated and unsparing critique of political Hinduism to emerge in some time.’ — AISHWARY KUMAR, THE HINDU
About the Author
Jyotirmaya Sharma is professor of political science at the University of Hyderabad, India. His other books include A Restatement of Religion: Swami Vivekananda and the Making of Hindu Nationalism; Terrifying Vision: M.S. Golwalkar, the RSS and India and an edited volume titled Grounding Morality: Freedom, Knowledge and the Plurality of Cultures (co-edited with A. Raghuramaraju). He has been a visiting fellow and lecturer at many prestigious universities and research centres, both in India and abroad. He has also held senior editorial positions at The Times of India and The Hindu from 1998–2006, and continues to write occasional columns.
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