Kim Knott
Auteur de Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction
Œuvres de Kim Knott
Hinduism in Leeds: A Study of Religious Practice in the Indian Hindu Community and in Hindu-related Groups (1986) 2 exemplaires
Media Portrayals of Religion and the Secular Sacred: Representation and Change (Ashgate AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society… (2013) 2 exemplaires
The great religions: 4. Hinduism 1 exemplaire
Oeuvres associées
The New Penguin Handbook of Living Religions: Second Edition (Penguin Reference Books) (1997) — Contributeur, quelques éditions — 105 exemplaires
Theology and religious studies in higher education : global perspectives (2009) — Contributeur — 16 exemplaires
Étiqueté
Partage des connaissances
- Nom canonique
- Knott, Kim
- Date de naissance
- 1955-05-25
- Sexe
- female
- Nationalité
- USA
Membres
Critiques
Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short… par Kim Knott
The book provides an overview of Hinduism. While it is brief, it provides some useful insights. The section on the mythical stories is interesting. I think reading the Vedas might be helpful. I mildly recommend this book.
½Just what you would expect from this series. There must be a strong editing team to maintain such consistency over so many subjects and so many authors.
As the title says, a very short introduction indeed. The book focuses on contemporary Hindu movements and Indian society, somewhat to the detriment of an historical or purely religious perspective. A good entry point for anyone who wants a quick introduction to the Hindu world.
I like this series to give me a starting point on big subjects, but this isn't the best entry in the series. It may be because Hinduism is so decentralized so the author couldn't really find an area to center on. The whole thing feels a little bit like a ramble. Nevertheless, it did make some good points that were useful to my understanding.
She intentionally didn't focus on the historical development of Hinduism, which was my main interest, so she could discuss Hinduism today. She discussed the Hindu scriptures, with the Upanishads being the core and the Vedas coming later. Most Hindus have never read these, but have memorized the key passages through recitation in religious services. Also, the parts of the scriptures that you choose to emphasize can be widely different.
She ties this to the caste system, where the priests are supposed to read and interpret the scriptures for the masses. Modern times have seen a decline in the caste system which has paralleled a more populist view towards access to the scriptures. She also discusses untouchables as those with no caste and therefore unclean. They appear to have started outside of the caste system but it became a caste unto itself over centuries. This attitude has also sharply declined in the last century.
She puts a particular emphasis on women's roles, which were severely subordinate to men. That include the obligation for upper class women to commit sati when their husbands die. This has also declined in recent times but Hinduism in India still has a strong streak of male-domination.
She finishes by asking if Hinduism is a universal religion. It was originally just in India and surrounding countries, but now Indians are dispersing around the world. Can it become a world religion instead of a regional one? It doesn't seek conversions and is so tightly tied to India society that expanding it beyond Indians will be difficult, but the recent Indian diaspora may hasten it spread.
Overall, this was an interesting book that provided some insight into Hinduism but was too scattered to be very insightful. I hope there is a better introduction to Hinduism out there.… (plus d'informations)
She intentionally didn't focus on the historical development of Hinduism, which was my main interest, so she could discuss Hinduism today. She discussed the Hindu scriptures, with the Upanishads being the core and the Vedas coming later. Most Hindus have never read these, but have memorized the key passages through recitation in religious services. Also, the parts of the scriptures that you choose to emphasize can be widely different.
She ties this to the caste system, where the priests are supposed to read and interpret the scriptures for the masses. Modern times have seen a decline in the caste system which has paralleled a more populist view towards access to the scriptures. She also discusses untouchables as those with no caste and therefore unclean. They appear to have started outside of the caste system but it became a caste unto itself over centuries. This attitude has also sharply declined in the last century.
She puts a particular emphasis on women's roles, which were severely subordinate to men. That include the obligation for upper class women to commit sati when their husbands die. This has also declined in recent times but Hinduism in India still has a strong streak of male-domination.
She finishes by asking if Hinduism is a universal religion. It was originally just in India and surrounding countries, but now Indians are dispersing around the world. Can it become a world religion instead of a regional one? It doesn't seek conversions and is so tightly tied to India society that expanding it beyond Indians will be difficult, but the recent Indian diaspora may hasten it spread.
Overall, this was an interesting book that provided some insight into Hinduism but was too scattered to be very insightful. I hope there is a better introduction to Hinduism out there.… (plus d'informations)
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Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 10
- Aussi par
- 3
- Membres
- 546
- Popularité
- #45,669
- Évaluation
- 3.4
- Critiques
- 8
- ISBN
- 44
- Langues
- 5