New Wine, Old Skins: The Sangh Parivār and the Transformation of Hinduism
✍ Scribed by James G. Lochtefeld
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 243 KB
- Volume
- 26
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0048-721X
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The Hindu Right has risen from virtual obscurity to become a significant force in modern India. The major agent for this has been the Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliates, particularly the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). The Sangh 'family' emphasis has been empowering Hindus and affirming Hindu identity, exemplified by their struggle to construct the Ram Janam Bhumi temple in Ayodhya. Yet even though the Sangh family claims to speak for all Hindus, and characterizes its platform as 'Hindu-ness' (Hindutva), its goals and assumptions often diverge sharply from traditional Hindu ideas. Despite the rhetoric of reclamation, it is redefining what it 'means' to be Hindu.