Rethinking Neo-Vedanta: Swami Vivekananda and ¯ the Selective Historiography of Advaita Vedanta
Journal Title: Religions - Year 2017, Vol 8, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper problematizes the prevalent model of studying the “Neo-Vedanta” of Swami ¯ Vivekananda (1863–1902) principally in terms of an influx of Western ideas and nationalism. In particular, I demonstrate how scholarly constructions of “Neo-Vedanta” consistently appeal ¯ to a high culture, staticized understanding of “traditional” Advaita Vedanta as the alterity for locating ¯ Vivekananda’s “neo” or new teachings. In doing so, such studies ignore the diverse medieval and early modern developments in advaitic and Advaita Vedantic traditions which were well-known to ¯ Vivekananda and other “Neo-Vedantins”. Redressing this discursive imbalance, I propose that close ¯ attention to the way in which Swami Vivekananda drew from Indic texts opens up a wider frame for understanding the swami and the genealogy of his cosmopolitan theology.
Authors and Affiliations
James Madaio
Keywords
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- EP ID EP25714
- DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel8060101
- Views 363
- Downloads 7
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