Disenchanting India : organized rationalism and criticism of religion in India
India is frequently represented as the quintessential land of religion. Johannes Quack challenges this representation through an examination of the contemporary Indian rationalist movement, which affirms the values and attitudes of atheism, humanism, or free-thinking. Quack shows the rationalists' emphasis on maintaining links to atheism and materialism in ancient India and outlines their strong ties to the intellectual currents of modern European history. At the heart of Disenchanting India lies an ethnographic study of the organization "Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti" (Organization for the Eradication of Superstition), based in the Indian State of Maharashtra. Quack gives a nuanced account of the rationalists' specific "mode of unbelief," describing their efforts to encourage a scientific temper and combat beliefs and practices they regard as "superstitious". Quack also shows the role played by rationalism in their day-to-day lives, as well as the organization's controversial position within Indian society. Disenchanting Indiaprovides crucial insights into the nature of rationalism in the intellectual life and cultural politics of India. -- Book Description
xvii, 362 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm
9780199812608, 9780199812622, 0199812608, 0199812624
704120510
Acknowledgments ; Prologue ; Introduction ; Part I: Object of Inquiry: Indian Rationalists, Modes of Unbelief & Disenchantment ; 1. Indian Rationalists ; 2. Modes of Unbelief ; 3. Rationalization and Disenchantment ; 4. Methodological Remarks and Research Setting ; Part II: History: Roots of Organized Rationalism in India ; 5. "Narrative" of the Indian Roots of Rationalism ; 6. Evolution of Rationalism in Colonial India ; 7. Influence of the English Rationalist Movement ; 8. Organized Rationalism in 20th Century India ; 9. Recent History of Organized Rationalism in Maharashtra ; Part III: Ethnography: Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANiS) ; 10. ANiS in Action: The Science-Van ; 11. Organizational Structure and Set-Up of ANiS ; 12. Profile and Agenda of ANiS ; 13. Individual Interpretations and Applications of Rationalism ; 14. Rationalism as a Way of Life ; 15. ANiS in Context ; 16. Impact of ANiS ; Part IV Theory: The Mode of Unbelief of ANiS ; Bibliography ; Appendix