Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
Oxford : Oxford University Press , c1998
Description
Hinduism is practiced by about 80 percent of India's population, and by about 30 million people outside India. But how is Hinduism defined, and what basis does the religion have? In this Very Short Introduction, Kim Knott provides clear insight into the beliefs and authority of Hindus and Hinduism, and considers the ways in which it has been affected by colonialism and modernity. The author also considers the challenges posed to Hinduism at the end of the twentieth century as it spreads far beyond India, and as concerns are raised about issues such as dowry, death, caste prejudice, and the place of women in Hindu society.
User reviews
LibraryThing member timtom
Besides being a rather dated (1998) and poorly illustrated book, this "introduction" to Hinduism is sadly disappointing to the beginner. It fails to address the main subject by spending too much time treating its context. The author does indeed a great job in explaining why defining "Hinduism"
In definitive, this is rather an "Introduction to how we should discuss Hinduism" as a real introduction to Hinduism per se.
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itself is a tricky question, and takes alle the necessary precautions to avoid oversimplification and reduce judeo-christian biases. But she goes too far in what should by essence be a "simplification" and leaves the reader clueless about the main facts. On the contrary, prior knowledge of key concepts is regularly implied so that even readers with some basic knowledge about Hinduism will feel frustrated.In definitive, this is rather an "Introduction to how we should discuss Hinduism" as a real introduction to Hinduism per se.
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LibraryThing member thewalkinggirl
As it is a very brief introduction, it doesn't go into much detail, but it does provide a nice overview of Hinduism in terms of philosophy, ritual, gender and caste, literature, politics, history and geography. It doesn't have the most compelling narrative I've ever read, but it also doesn't make
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your brain feel like it's melting. For more information about the philosophical aspects, see A Very Short Introduction to Indian Philosophy by Sue Hamilton. Show Less
LibraryThing member stillatim
It's becoming really obvious to me that the OVSI series is handicapped a bit by the general academic climate: here's a well-written, sympathetic and reasonably objective book about Hinduism. Knott is perfectly transparent about her approach, which is to discuss Hinduism for the most part as it
But... as with a lot of these VSIs, a kind of knee-jerk liberalism intrudes on otherwise admirable work. I have absolutely *no* doubts that traditional Hindu social structures are repulsive and need to be destroyed; I have nothing but sympathy for the women/dalits/otherwise oppressed members of Hindu communities who want to fight against aspects of their own tradition. But this is a VSI, and what I really wanted was to better understand the actually existing social structures, the traditions and the theologies of Hinduism. After this book I feel like I have a much better understanding of post-1960s academic interpretations of British colonialism and Hindu social movements. But I still can't give good reasons for my own knee-jerk beliefs about India and Nepal's social structures, because I still can't name more than four Hindu gods, don't really get how the caste system works, and don't know why such a thing exists in the first place. That's a bit disappointing.
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exists today, rather than dealing with the history. Fair enough. I prefer a more historical approach, but I understand that you can't do everything in a book that is so Very Short. Generally she does a good job. But... as with a lot of these VSIs, a kind of knee-jerk liberalism intrudes on otherwise admirable work. I have absolutely *no* doubts that traditional Hindu social structures are repulsive and need to be destroyed; I have nothing but sympathy for the women/dalits/otherwise oppressed members of Hindu communities who want to fight against aspects of their own tradition. But this is a VSI, and what I really wanted was to better understand the actually existing social structures, the traditions and the theologies of Hinduism. After this book I feel like I have a much better understanding of post-1960s academic interpretations of British colonialism and Hindu social movements. But I still can't give good reasons for my own knee-jerk beliefs about India and Nepal's social structures, because I still can't name more than four Hindu gods, don't really get how the caste system works, and don't know why such a thing exists in the first place. That's a bit disappointing.
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LibraryThing member Scapegoats
I like this series to give me a starting point on big subjects, but this isn't the best entry in the series. It may be because Hinduism is so decentralized so the author couldn't really find an area to center on. The whole thing feels a little bit like a ramble. Nevertheless, it did make some good
She intentionally didn't focus on the historical development of Hinduism, which was my main interest, so she could discuss Hinduism today. She discussed the Hindu scriptures, with the Upanishads being the core and the Vedas coming later. Most Hindus have never read these, but have memorized the key passages through recitation in religious services. Also, the parts of the scriptures that you choose to emphasize can be widely different.
She ties this to the caste system, where the priests are supposed to read and interpret the scriptures for the masses. Modern times have seen a decline in the caste system which has paralleled a more populist view towards access to the scriptures. She also discusses untouchables as those with no caste and therefore unclean. They appear to have started outside of the caste system but it became a caste unto itself over centuries. This attitude has also sharply declined in the last century.
She puts a particular emphasis on women's roles, which were severely subordinate to men. That include the obligation for upper class women to commit sati when their husbands die. This has also declined in recent times but Hinduism in India still has a strong streak of male-domination.
She finishes by asking if Hinduism is a universal religion. It was originally just in India and surrounding countries, but now Indians are dispersing around the world. Can it become a world religion instead of a regional one? It doesn't seek conversions and is so tightly tied to India society that expanding it beyond Indians will be difficult, but the recent Indian diaspora may hasten it spread.
Overall, this was an interesting book that provided some insight into Hinduism but was too scattered to be very insightful. I hope there is a better introduction to Hinduism out there.
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points that were useful to my understanding. She intentionally didn't focus on the historical development of Hinduism, which was my main interest, so she could discuss Hinduism today. She discussed the Hindu scriptures, with the Upanishads being the core and the Vedas coming later. Most Hindus have never read these, but have memorized the key passages through recitation in religious services. Also, the parts of the scriptures that you choose to emphasize can be widely different.
She ties this to the caste system, where the priests are supposed to read and interpret the scriptures for the masses. Modern times have seen a decline in the caste system which has paralleled a more populist view towards access to the scriptures. She also discusses untouchables as those with no caste and therefore unclean. They appear to have started outside of the caste system but it became a caste unto itself over centuries. This attitude has also sharply declined in the last century.
She puts a particular emphasis on women's roles, which were severely subordinate to men. That include the obligation for upper class women to commit sati when their husbands die. This has also declined in recent times but Hinduism in India still has a strong streak of male-domination.
She finishes by asking if Hinduism is a universal religion. It was originally just in India and surrounding countries, but now Indians are dispersing around the world. Can it become a world religion instead of a regional one? It doesn't seek conversions and is so tightly tied to India society that expanding it beyond Indians will be difficult, but the recent Indian diaspora may hasten it spread.
Overall, this was an interesting book that provided some insight into Hinduism but was too scattered to be very insightful. I hope there is a better introduction to Hinduism out there.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Steve38
Just what you would expect from this series. There must be a strong editing team to maintain such consistency over so many subjects and so many authors.
LibraryThing member GlennBell
The book provides an overview of Hinduism. While it is brief, it provides some useful insights. The section on the mythical stories is interesting. I think reading the Vedas might be helpful. I mildly recommend this book.