Wendy donigers book was booted from india after conservative hindu activists cried foul. An alternative history has been pulled by its publisher, penguin books india, for offending hindus. Why the outrage on wendy donigers controversial book. Penguin books india pulls controversial book on hinduism penguin books india agreed to withdraw the book from circulation in india as well as destroy every copy of the book. She claims to have translated several sanskrit texts. It concerns how india and hinduism is portrayed in social studies books. Seventythreeyearold doniger is an american jewish indologist who has been a professor at the university of chicago since 1978. Assuming that hinduism means sanatan dharma for you, because the term hindu has very controversial meaning and origin. Seventythreeyearold doniger is an american jewish indologist and has been a professor at the university of chicago since 1978. This series of interconnected essays and lectures surveys the most critically important and hotly contested issues in hinduism over 3,500 years, from the ancient time of the vedas to the present day. Wendy donigers book the hindus withdrawn by penguin. Amid contested reports that a second book about hinduism by religion scholar wendy doniger may be withdrawn in india, a scholars group is expressing concern about a chilling effect on free inquiry.
I usually try to distance myself from religious debates on rindia but your question is an important one. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity, not an insult vijay prashad. Yet i was horrified to find that npr did the exact opposite when interviewing university of chicago professor wendy doniger about her controversial book. Controversial book, the hindus, by religious scholar wendy doniger withdrawn by penguin over lawsuit penguin books india has agreed to withdraw a controversial book on hinduism as settlement for a lawsuit filed in 2011, the new york times reported. I had written this for facebook, reproducing it here. An alternative history penguin, 2009 has outraged hindus around the world like never before for allegedly insulting and offending hindus and indians. Which are the best books on origin and history of hinduism. The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india by penguins indian subsidiary, penguin india. Wendy is known for her controversial position about hinduism. It was used by encarta for reference now many of us may agree most indians feel a work is validated. An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy.
Wendy donigers the hindus recalled by penguin india time. This book was considered an important piece and a was considered authoritative work on hinduism. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in india. A controversial book on hinduism is back in print in india. An alternative history, by university of chicago divinity school professor wendy doniger, was published in. Robert siegel recently interviewed doniger on all things considered, because penguin books india has agreed to recall and destroy all copies of her book the hindus. The hindus an alternative history is an utterly wonderful book. Yet another controversial book has been suppressed thanks to indias tough libel laws. Controversial book on hindus wendy donigers book the hindus.
Wendy doniger after her book was banned in india and a criminal case filed against her. Contained lots of factual errors, erroneous mapsthey have withdrawn the book knowing the tide is now against the missionaries with support from their masters aka u. No stranger to controversy, batra had earlier taken on indian. By arvind sharma birks professor of comparative religion at faculty of religious studies at mcgill university in canada. Indian publishers nervous about taking books that might. Penguin recalls controversial book from india bookstores wendy donigers the hindu. A controversial book on hinduism is back in print in indiawith a tweak wendy donigers book was booted from india after conservative hindu activists cried foul. This book is a collection of essays on hinduism by the author wendy doniger. Outcry as penguin india pulps alternative history of. For those who already know and admire wendy donigers work, this is a handy if hefty compendium of. The release of wendy donigers recent book the hindus. Penguin to withdraw wendy donigers controversial book. Penguin to destroy donigers controversial book on hindus.
And although the official decision to withdraw the book tilted the hindus. American professor wendy donigers controversial book the hindus. An alternative history, as part of a court settlement. The real reason wendy doniger s book on hindus was banned in india.
An alternative history, which has been both revered and reviled by different sections of society, stirred up a huge controversy. Penguin india agrees to withdraw controversial book on. Penguin to withdraw wendy donigers controversial book on. Penguin books india has decided to withdraw copies of united states indologist wendy donigers book the hindus. A protest near the us embassy in new delhi against wendy donigers the hindus. Penguin recalls controversial book from india bookstores. I think i should respond to the piece by wendy doniger in the chronicle of higher education entitled the repression of religious studies, as i am the hindu whose piece on hinduism was substituted for her own. An alternative history was made on february 4, twitter has been overflowing with strong criticism, thus making the book title a trending topic on the microblogging website. Hinduism, in her view, is an intricate weave of the diverse localities and communities of indian culture.
An alternative history has outraged hindus around the world, insulting indians and offending hindus. Although she made a career out of hinduism, she has little respect for it. A response to wendy donigers the repression of religious. An alternative history penguin, 2009 has outraged hindus around the world for allegedly. You need to know about the hindu textbook controversy. Penguin books india has said this week that it will destroy all available copies of the 2009 book by the indologist wendy doniger, the hindus.
Penguin books india has agreed to withdraw a controversial book on hinduism as settlement for a lawsuit filed in 2011, the new york times reported. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity, not an. Penguin books india has reportedly agreed to recall and destroy all copies in india of a book about hinduism by a u. Controversial book, the hindus, by religious scholar wendy. According to the book, the hindu, an alternate history, wendy doniger holds two doctorates in sanskrit and india studies, from harvard and oxford. For anyone seeking a deeper and more nuanced understanding of hinduism, this book is a must read. Wendy donigers enthralling and encyclopaedic book reveals her vision of a hindu culture that is plural, varied, generous, and inclusive. Hinduism is an umbrella under which different school. Wendy doniger, a professor of history of religion at university of chicago, is a prizewinning author of book, the hindus. Consequently, her antagonism towards the hindutva forces which includes modi, rss, and the bjp is understandable. Publishers weekly clear and direct this will stand as a reliable resource to return to frequently. Unlike her previous work this was specifically aimed at the indian audience. New delhi when penguin india decided to withdraw a book on hinduism by the american scholar wendy doniger in february, it cast a pall over the indian publishing industry, which was already vulnerable to lawsuits because of the ambiguous language of indian defamation laws now, a young publishing house, aleph book company, is under pressure after it became the latest target of an.
Penguin books india has decided to withdraw copies of us indologist wendy donigers book the hindus. A controversial book on hinduism is back in print in indiawith a. An alternative history following a courtbacked settlement with a. An alternative history has been pulled by its publisher. Wendy donigers derogatory hinduism studies introduction i do not believe in burning books, but wendy donigers 779page tome titled, the hindus. Indian publishers nervous about taking books that might offend hindutva.
It has seven sections based on the different themes. There has been much handwringing in india about wendy doniger s book, the hindus. The next year, the hindu right government in the state of maharashtra banned james laines book shivaji. Doniger, 73, is a jewish american indologist and has been a professor at the university of chicago since 1978. In this magisterial volume of essays, wendy doniger enhances our understanding of the ancient and complex religion to which she has devoted herself for half a century.
The author, wendy doniger, has two doctorates, one in sanskrit and one in indian studies, so she is exceedingly well qualified to write meaningfully on this topic. An alternative history penguin, 2009 has outraged hindus around the world for allegedly insulting and offending hindus and indians. The court case in india against wendy donigers book the hindus was in a way initiated in atlanta, georgia, by a group of indianamerican. Another book on hinduism by american indologist wendy doniger has come under attack from the same delhibased group which had compelled the. She is an american indologist with dozens of publication under her name.
Its very difficult to recommend one book which will serve this purpose. Authors and academics have taken to twitter to voice their disgust at the apparent decision of penguin to recall and destroy a book on the history of hinduism, which campaigners have called offensive. An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy doniger which the author describes as an alternative to the narrative of hindu history that they tell. Hindus in india dont have a problem with it because a very small minority knows about it. Penguin withdraws controversial hinduism book huffpost. Recently, i chanced to read an article authored by wendy doniger, distinguished professor at the university of chicago, usa, about hinduism and its cow history. The recall of us author wendy donigers book on hinduism by publisher penguin books has been received with much outrage. The book features boisterous representations of krishna, a horse whose body is made. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity. Penguin to axe wendy donigers controversial book the. Controversial book, the hindus, by religious scholar wendy doniger withdrawn by penguin over lawsuit.
Inside wendy donigers banned book on the hindus learn religions. Yet another controversial book has been suppressed thanks. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned. Vigilant hindu groups have stopped penguin from publishing a derogatory book insulting and offending hindus.
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