Eclecticism and Modern Hindu Discourse

Modern Hindu apologists routinely support their interpretations of theHindu worldview with what seems an almost promiscuous use of the world's manyphilosophies and religions. This book examines the ancient roots andcontemporary significance of such eclectic borrowing within modern Hindudiscourse. Hatcher examines the work of Swami Vivekananda and other religiousreformers from nineteenth-century Bengal in light of changing attitudes towardeclecticism, from Hellenistic philosophy to postmodernism. The author juxtaposesdiscussion of the Vedic and classical roots of Hindu eclecticism with reflectionon the role of such eclecticism in colonial and postcolonial contexts.Throughout the book an attempt is made to negotiate a dialectic framed by modernand postmodern perspectives on the problem of truth and authenticity.