Congrats, Michael! Looks awesome! Nicole On Tue, Jun 28, 2022 at 8:32 AM Allen, Michael S (msa2b) via INDOLOGY < [email protected]> wrote:
> Dear Colleagues, > > I am happy to announce the publication of my book, *The Ocean of Inquiry: > Niścaldās and the Premodern Origins of Modern Hinduism, *which came out > last month from Oxford University Press > <https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-ocean-of-inquiry-9780197638958?cc=us&lang=en&#>. > It is part of the South Asia Research Series, edited by Martha Selby. Below > is a description of the book. > > Best wishes, > Michael > > Michael S. Allen > Assistant Professor > Department of Religious Studies > University of Virginia > > > Advaita Vedānta is one of the best-known schools of Indian philosophy, but > much of its history--a history closely interwoven with that of medieval and > modern Hinduism--remains surprisingly unexplored. This book focuses on a > single remarkable work and its place within that history: *The Ocean of > Inquiry*, a vernacular compendium of Advaita Vedānta by the North Indian > monk Niścaldās (ca. 1791 - 1863). Though not well known today, Niścaldās's > work was once referred to by Vivekananda (himself a key figure in the > shaping of modern Hinduism) as the most influential book in India. > > The present book situates *The Ocean of Inquiry* as representative of > both a neglected genre (vernacular Vedānta) and a neglected period (ca. > 17th-19th centuries) in the history of Indian philosophy. It argues that > the rise of Advaita Vedānta to a position of prestige began well before the > period of British rule in India, and that vernacular texts like *The > Ocean of Inquiry* played an important role in popularizing Vedāntic > teachings. It also offers a new appraisal of the period of late Advaita > Vedānta, arguing that it should not be seen as one of barren scholasticism. > For thinkers like Niścaldās, intellectual “inquiry” (*vicāra*) was not an > academic exercise but a spiritual practice--indeed, it was the central > practice on the path to liberation. The book concludes by arguing that > without understanding both vernacular Vedānta and the scholasticism of the > period, one cannot fully understand the emergence of modern Hinduism. > > > _______________________________________________ > INDOLOGY mailing list > [email protected] > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology > -- Dr. Nicole Karapanagiotis, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) Associate Professor and Chair Department of Philosophy and Religion Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Camden College of Arts and Sciences 429 Cooper St., Room #303 Camden, NJ 08102 [email protected]
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