RELG 361 - Modern Hinduism

Credits: (3)
College Curriculum: College 200
Domain (Anchored): CSI
Domain (Reaching Out): ALV

An introduction to Hinduism in modern India, exploring the manner in which Hindu religiosity has both influenced and been influenced by political, social, legal, economic, and environmental issues specific to the modern age. The course will focus on Hinduism’s development, variety of forms, and enmeshments in larger social and political issues from the period of British colonialism (circa 1750-1947) through Independence and to the present-day. Topics/themes to be emphasized may include: Hindu nationalism; Hindu-Muslim relations; caste and untouchability; patriarchy, gender roles, and feminism; impacts of British colonialism and Orientalist knowledge production; key figures in modern Hindu reform efforts; diaspora Hinduism (e.g., the experience of Hindus in the West); contemporary transnational neo-Hindu guru-led movements; ethnographic studies of lived Hinduism in modern India; and ongoing Hindu efforts at environmental and urban sustainability (with attention to the impacts upon traditional Hindu religiosity of climate change, pollution, globalization, and rapid urbanization).