RE374 Chapter Notes -Shaktism, Jean-Antoine Dubois, Indian Literature
Document Summary
The golden age of the vedas and the dark age of kali. Dichotomy between hinduism and indian mind: ancient, pre and uncorrupted golden age, perverse and degenerate era. Discourse focuses on western problem with sexuality and sexual deviance in modern. Europe: orient imagined as exotic world of forbidden sexuality and sensuality. This view intensified and continued during victorian era england. Era had special fascination with sexuality in its most deviant forms: anything that wasn"t part of the monogamous heterosexual norm, discourse about tantra became enmeshed in biopolitical issues. Also became key part of conceptualization of india and hinduism . 19th century tantra serves as critical element in reofmration of indian religious, cultural and political identity. Hinduism at its last and worst stage of development: tantrism in the. Orientalist imagination: conquest of india was for knowledge, india had to be classified and evaluated, india came to be perceived as passionate, irrational and erotic world.
