Religion in Modern India
Contents: Preface. I. Religious movements: 1. The Brahmo Samaj: India’s first modern movement for religious reform/Spencer Lavan. 2. The Arya Samaj in British India, 1875-1947/Kenneth W. Jones. 3. The Ramakrishna movement: a study in religious change/George M. Williams. 4. The divine life society movement/David M. Miller. 5. The Ahmadiyah movement: Islamic religious reform in modern India/Spencer Lavan. 6. The spirit of the Jamia Millia Islamia as exemplified in the writings of S. Abid Husain/Sheila McDonough. 7. The Parsi community/John R. Hinnells. 8. The Singh Sabhas and the evolution of modern Sikhism, 1875-1925/N. Gerald Barrier. 9. Christianity in India/Eric J. Sharpe. 10. Politicized Hinduism: the ideology and program of the Hindu Mahasabha/Kenneth W. Jones. 11. The revival of Buddhism in modern India/Harold G. Coward. 12. Shakti ascending: Hindu women, politics, and religious leadership during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries/Nancy E. Falk. 13. Jains in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries/James F. Lewis. II. Religious thinkers: 14. Rammohun Roy/James N. Pankratz. 15. Svami Dayananda Sarasvati/Arvind Sharma. 16. Svami Vivekananda/George M. Williams. 17. Ultimacy as unifier in Gandhi/Boyd H. Wilson. 18. Rabindranath Tagore: religion as a constant struggle for balance/Donald R. Tuck. 19. Sri Aurobindo and experience: Yogic and otherwise/Robert N. Minor. 20. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and "Hinduism" defined and defended/Robert N. Minor. 21. Swami Bhaktivedanta and ultimacy/Robert D. Baird. 22. A plea for a new shrine: the religious vision of Muhammad Iqbal/Ronald W. Neufeldt. 23. Shibli Nu’mani: a conservative vision of revitalized Islam/Sheila McDonough.
"The first edition of this volume was published in 1981. Ten of the original nineteen chapters were presented as papers at a conference on ‘Religion in modern India’ at the University of Iowa in 1980 organized by the editor. Wide acceptance of this work suggested the desirability of a second edition. That edition, published in 1989, dropped a couple of original essays and added chapters by N. Gerald Barrier on the Sikhs, Eric J. Sharpe on the Christians, and John R. Hinnells on the Parsis. When a third edition was suggested it presented an opportunity to add additional chapters by Harold G. Coward on the Buddhist revival, Nancy E. Falk on religion and the Indian women’s movement, and Robert D. Baird on the thought of Swami Bhaktivedanta. In this fourth revised edition a new essay on Jainism by James F. Lewis has been added. Further more all contributors were offered an opportunity to make revisions in their original contributions. A number of these revisions were substantial.
Although this volume was initially written by scholars for scholars, it has become a popular text for courses in Indian religions and religion in modern India. The new chapters should help fill in some of the gaps in the original volume. Since 1981 there has been renewed interest in the study of modern India. We will continue to be satisfied if we are able to stimulate fresh thought and continued research on the subject."
