Postcolonial Hindu Studies

Colonialism is not about economic exploitation alone; it severely impacts the civilizational ethos and culture of the colonized. The Hindu civilization has been under assault for the last thousand years because of which it has been significantly transformed. In the recent times, although there has been a detailed study of the economic impact of the British imperialism, a detailed and critical study of how imperialism has decisively altered the consciousness and culture of the Hindu people and society, in particular, the Hindus, has not happened adequately in mainstream academia. Filling the gap, the Postcolonial Hindu Studies area is a collection of courses that investigate the cultural legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the human consequences of the control and exploitation of Hindu society and civilization. The series of courses will address the impact of the European and Islamic imperialism, with at least the following aims: 1. Recovery of the worldview, paradigm, or cosmology of the ancestors of the Hindus before they came under colonization. 2. A detailed study of the measures that were undertaken by the colonizers to alter the cultural consciousness of the Hindu people. 3. A comprehensive study of the misrepresentations and distortions of the Hindu worldview introduced by European Indologists. 4. How those distortions have acquired a life of their own in western narratives, Indian narratives, and postcolonial Hindu consciousness. 5. Correcting the misrepresentations and recovering its ancient worldview, how Hindus can move forward honoring their unique and distinct cosmology. The courses in this concentration will also create opportunities for students to interrogate and critically examine the contemporary mainstream and media narratives regarding the Hindu culture and society and their roots in the social and political power relationships that sustained colonialism. They invite students to explore the impact of colonial consciousness on the formation of postcolonial Hindu identity, self, and society as well as the Hindu response to colonialist thought, and the contemporary social, cultural and political narratives surrounding the colonizer and the colonized.

Critical Issues in Hindu Studies

Critical Issues in Hindu Studies

PHS8300 - This course outlines the critical issues involved in the European understanding of Hindus and India, developed within the ... Read More
Anticolonialism and Postcolonialism

Anticolonialism and Postcolonialism

PHS7301 - Postcolonial theories are simultaneously theoretical frameworks as well as research methodologies. This course introduces the theories of three ... Read More
Orientalism and Hinduism

Orientalism and Hinduism

PHS7304 - This course studies Edward Said’s Orientalism and its critiques, offering ways to reclaim and apply his discourse in ... Read More
Philosophical Foundations of Orientalism

Philosophical Foundations of Orientalism

PHS8301 - Orientalism employs a technique termed “deconstruction.” In order to effectively and critically examine a colonial and postcolonial discourse, ... Read More
The Philosophy of Science and Hinduism

Philosophy of Science and Hinduism

PHS8302 - In the colonial and postcolonial contexts, there have been many attempts both by Indians and western people to ... Read More
Contesting Neo-Hinduism

Contesting Neo-Hinduism

PHS7305 - This course demystifies the traditional/neo binary in the western narrative on Hinduism, which has been crafted to undermine ... Read More
Decolonizing the Hindu Condition, Contesting Neo-Hinduism

Decolonizing the Hindu Condition

PHS6302 – (MA/DHS – Elective Course) This course will analyze in detail the psychological and sociological consequences of the British ... Read More
James Mill and the Rise of Liberal-Left in Britain

James Mill and the Rise of Liberal-Left in Britain

PHS6303 - (MA/DHS – Elective Course) This course shows that the noxious discourse on Hindus and Hinduism which emerged through ... Read More
Postcolonial Theory

Postcolonial Theory

PHS7300 - This course provides a full spectrum on thinkers, writers, and theorists who have commented on the colonial occupation ... Read More
Sociological Consequences of British Rule on India

Sociological Consequences of British Rule on India

PHS7302 - This course will analyse in detail the sociological consequences of the British colonial narratives on Hindus and India ... Read More
Unpacking Caste and Hierarchy in India

Unpacking Caste and Hierarchy in India

PHS7303 - This course is an exploration in understanding the impact of British colonial narratives in the restructuring of the ... Read More