Mythology Wars: The Indian diaspora, "Wendy's Children" and the struggle for the Hindu past

dc.contributor.authorTaylor, McComas
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-10T23:33:02Z
dc.date.available2015-12-10T23:33:02Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.date.updated2016-02-24T08:20:01Z
dc.description.abstractA schism has appeared between sections of the Indian diasporic community and members of the Western academy over the authority to present and interpret Hindu mythology. This paper tells the story of these "Mythology Wars". It focuses on critiques of Western scholarship by self-identified Hindu critics, primarily Rajiv Malhotra in his articles 'RISA Lila-1: Wendy's Child Syndrome' and 'RISA Lila-2: Limp Scholarship and Demonology' (Malhotra, 2002 and 2003). The primary foci of diasporic criticism are Wendy Doniger's writings, including The Hindus (2009), and three works by other scholars, Jeffrey Kripal (Kālī's Child, 1995), Sarah Caldwell ('The Blood-thirsty Tongue and the Self-feeding Breast', 1999) and Paul Courtright (Ganeśa, 1985). There is no end in sight to the Mythology Wars. It is unlikely that critics in the diaspora will become less vigilant or less vocal. While members of the Western academy may become more circumspect and more sensitive to the potential strife they face, they are unlikely to impose any form of self-censorship. The defence of "academic freedom" has a long and deep history.
dc.identifier.issn1035-7823
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/69115
dc.publisherCarfax Publishing, Taylor & Francis Group
dc.sourceAsian Studies Review
dc.subjectKeywords: Academic freedom; Indian diaspora; Indian mythology; Rajiv Malhotra; Wendy Doniger
dc.titleMythology Wars: The Indian diaspora, "Wendy's Children" and the struggle for the Hindu past
dc.typeJournal article
local.bibliographicCitation.issue2
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage168
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage149
local.contributor.affiliationTaylor, McComas, College of Asia and the Pacific, ANU
local.contributor.authoremailu3936301@anu.edu.au
local.contributor.authoruidTaylor, McComas, u3936301
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.absfor200599 - Literary Studies not elsewhere classified
local.identifier.absseo970120 - Expanding Knowledge in Languages, Communication and Culture
local.identifier.ariespublicationf2965xPUB1925
local.identifier.citationvolume35
local.identifier.doi10.1080/10357823.2011.575206
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-79956063251
local.identifier.thomsonID000291307800001
local.identifier.uidSubmittedByf2965
local.type.statusPublished Version

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