"Spirituality of India" and Orientalism : From the Use of the Term "Spirituality" in the 19th Century (SPECIAL FEATURE : India in International Relations)

冨澤 かな

doi:10.14989/173747

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

<特集論文>「インドのスピリチュアリティ」とオリエンタリズム : 19世紀インド周辺の用例の考察 (特集「国際関係のなかのインド」)

Description

This paper will examine the construction of the image of "the spirituality of India." This is quite a popular image and is seen as a typical example of Orientalism. It has certainly functioned as a counter image towards the hegemony of the rational and materialistic West. For example, Swami Vivekananda used this term in explaining his idea of universal religion and it seems a good example of so-called "Affirmative Orientalism." Examining the usages of this term in detail, however, we can see that it does not always fit the common scheme of Orientalism. The core of Orientalism is not the negative evaluation of the East, but the uneven scheme by which the West defines the East. Even Affirmative Orientalism can be seen as an inverted response to the active call from the West. However, in the use of the term "spirituality" around the 19th century, we cannot find a simple "call and response" between the West and the East. It seems that the modern use of this term was elaborated not by the initiative of the West, but by an intermingling between the West and the East, and that a significant function of that usage was to deconstruct the Orientalistic dichotomy itself.

Journal

現代インド研究

現代インド研究 3 49-76, 2013-02

人間文化研究機構地域研究推進事業「現代インド地域研究」

Details 詳細情報について

CRID: 1390572174793075840

NII Article ID: 120005244643

NII Book ID: AA12520400

DOI: 10.14989/173747

HANDLE: 2433/173747

ISSN: 21859833

Text Lang: ja

Article Type: departmental bulletin paper

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IRDB
CiNii Articles

Abstract License Flag: Allowed

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