Hinduism: History, Religion, and the BJP

Catalog description

This class traces the emergence and development of Hinduism in the Indian subcontinent. Following an examination of the foundations of Hindu religion and its philosophical tenets, this course will discuss the role of Hinduism through thematic analysis of Indian history. In particular, this class will focus on how Hinduism became politicized in the modern era, how the religion was used in resistance to British rule and became the ideological foundation of the Bharatiya Janata Party, devoting significant attention to the rise of Hindu nationalism in the twentieth and twenty-first century. This course is open to all students and majors alike, requires no prerequisites, and may be used to count towards the elective requirements for the Religious Studies minor.