A comparative look at religion and spirituality in postcolonial China and India
The Modern Spirit of Asia challenges the notion that modernity in China and India are derivative imitations of the West, arguing that these societies have transformed their ancient traditions in unique and distinctive ways. Peter van der Veer begins with nineteenth-century imperial history, exploring how Western concepts of spirituality, secularity, religion, and magic were used to translate the traditions of India and China. He traces how modern Western notions of religion and magic were incorporated into the respective nation-building projects of Chinese and Indian nationalist intellectuals, yet how modernity in China and India is by no means uniform. While religion is a centerpiece of Indian nationalism, it is viewed in China as an obstacle to progress that must be marginalized and controlled.
The Modern Spirit of Asia moves deftly from Kandinsky's understanding of spirituality in art to Indian yoga and Chinese qi gong, from modern theories of secularism to histories of Christian conversion, from Orientalist constructions of religion to Chinese campaigns against magic and superstition, and from Muslim Kashmir to Muslim Xinjiang. Van der Veer, an outspoken proponent of the importance of comparative studies of religion and society, eloquently makes his case in this groundbreaking examination of the spiritual and the secular in China and India.
eBook - ePub
The Modern Spirit of Asia
The Spiritual and the Secular in China and India
- 296 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Information
Publisher
Princeton University PressYear
2013Print ISBN
9780691128153
9780691128146
eBook ISBN
9781400848553
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication Page
- Contents
- Preface
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: Spirituality in Modern Society
- Chapter 3: The Making of Oriental Religion
- Chapter 4: Conversion to Indian and Chinese Modernities
- Chapter 5: Secularism’s Magic
- Chapter 6: “Smash Temples, Build Schools”: Comparing Secularism in India and China
- Chapter 7: The Spiritual Body
- Chapter 8: Muslims in India and China
- Chapter 9: Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
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Yes, you can access The Modern Spirit of Asia by Peter van der Veer in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Chinese History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.