Constructions of Hinduism at the Nexus of History and Religion
Author(s)
Rotberg, Robert I.; Rabb, Theodore K.
Abstract
Hinduism lies at the center of any attempt to understand India today. It is a reference not to a religion, per se, nor a way of life, but rather a combination of historical and religious/cultural realities that have been constructed. Hinduism has come to describe a number of structural factors, including cultural, political, social and religious systems that operate at the fore of south Asia. Because of this multiplicity of definitions, itself a consequence of the historical circumstances in which the term first arose, a distinction needs to be drawn between Hindu as a geographical concept designating everything native to India and Hindu as a specific group of cultural, social and religious ideas and phenomena. Only once these distinctions have been made clear can one truly understand what is meant when referring to Hinduism and the role that plays in shaping every interaction between history and religion in India.
