The Emergence of Modern Hinduism argues for the importance
of regional, vernacular innovation in processes of Hindu
modernization. Scholars usually trace the emergence of modern
Hinduism to cosmopolitan reform movements, producing accounts that
overemphasize the centrality of elite religion and the influence of
Western ideas and models. In this study, the author considers
religious change on the margins of colonialism by looking at an
important local figure, the Tamil Shaiva poet and mystic Ramalinga
Swami (1823–1874). Weiss narrates a history of Hindu
modernization that demonstrates the transformative role of Hindu
ideas, models, and institutions, making this text essential for
scholarly audiences of South Asian history, religious studies,
Hindu studies, and South Asian studies.
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