Modern Hinduism

In this seminar we will engage with recent scholarship to examine the contours of modern and contemporary Hinduism in both South Asia and diasporic contexts. Topics will include class, caste, gender, and nationalism (among others) as addressed through textual, philological, historical, and ethnographic approaches. We will be concerned both with what this scholarship tells us about shifts in Hindu traditions themselves as well as in the academic study of Hindu traditions and religion more broadly. In addition to traditional scholarship, we will attend to contemporary forms of media (print, television/film, social media) to explore emerging questions related to Hinduism in the modern and contemporary world. Students will write a final research paper on a topic of their own choosing. RELI 0100 or RELI 0140 or RELI 0243 or instructor approval. Other coursework and/or experiences related to South Asia may also be accepted. 3 hr seminar.