TY - JOUR
T1 - Mythology Wars: The Indian diaspora, "Wendy's Children" and the struggle for the Hindu past
AU - Taylor, McComas
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - A schism has appeared between sections of the Indian diasporic community and members of the Western academy over the authority to present and interpret Hindu mythology. This paper tells the story of these "Mythology Wars". It focuses on critiques of Western scholarship by self-identified Hindu critics, primarily Rajiv Malhotra in his articles 'RISA Lila-1: Wendy's Child Syndrome' and 'RISA Lila-2: Limp Scholarship and Demonology' (Malhotra, 2002 and 2003). The primary foci of diasporic criticism are Wendy Doniger's writings, including The Hindus (2009), and three works by other scholars, Jeffrey Kripal (K?l?'s Child, 1995), Sarah Caldwell ('The Blood-thirsty Tongue and the Self-feeding Breast', 1999) and Paul Courtright (Gane?a, 1985). There is no end in sight to the Mythology Wars. It is unlikely that critics in the diaspora will become less vigilant or less vocal. While members of the Western academy may become more circumspect and more sensitive to the potential strife they face, they are unlikely to impose any form of self-censorship. The defence of "academic freedom" has a long and deep history.
AB - A schism has appeared between sections of the Indian diasporic community and members of the Western academy over the authority to present and interpret Hindu mythology. This paper tells the story of these "Mythology Wars". It focuses on critiques of Western scholarship by self-identified Hindu critics, primarily Rajiv Malhotra in his articles 'RISA Lila-1: Wendy's Child Syndrome' and 'RISA Lila-2: Limp Scholarship and Demonology' (Malhotra, 2002 and 2003). The primary foci of diasporic criticism are Wendy Doniger's writings, including The Hindus (2009), and three works by other scholars, Jeffrey Kripal (K?l?'s Child, 1995), Sarah Caldwell ('The Blood-thirsty Tongue and the Self-feeding Breast', 1999) and Paul Courtright (Gane?a, 1985). There is no end in sight to the Mythology Wars. It is unlikely that critics in the diaspora will become less vigilant or less vocal. While members of the Western academy may become more circumspect and more sensitive to the potential strife they face, they are unlikely to impose any form of self-censorship. The defence of "academic freedom" has a long and deep history.
U2 - 10.1080/10357823.2011.575206
DO - 10.1080/10357823.2011.575206
M3 - Article
VL - 35
SP - 149
EP - 168
JO - Asian Studies Review
JF - Asian Studies Review
SN - 1035-7823
IS - 2
ER -