DIV 1001 · Hinduism — An Anthropological Perspective

Led by Clifford Geertz Simulacrum

An anthropological study of contemporary Hinduism — populism, ritual performance, social identitarianism, and theatrical politics — through five analytical frameworks from Geertz, Turner, Weber, Douglas, and Goffman.

1. Module 1

   Context vs Text

   Led by Clifford Geertz Simulacrum

   The question

   The British Orientalists constructed Hinduism from its Sanskrit texts. What was omitted — and what does thick description of lived Hindu practice reveal that the texts cannot contain?

   Outcome

   The student can apply thick description as a method and contrast it with textual Indology.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 1.1 The Invention of Hinduism Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 1.2 Thick Description Applied Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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2. Module 2

   Ritual Performance vs Intellectual Deliberation

   Led by Clifford Geertz Simulacrum

   The question

   The Kumbh Melā draws 400 million pilgrims. Holi temporarily suspends caste hierarchy. Why does the performance persist when the doctrine is forgotten — and what is Turner's social drama doing that the Upaniṣads are not?

   Outcome

   The student can apply Turner's social drama model and explain communitas in Hindu ritual contexts.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 2.1 The Kumbh Melā as Social Drama Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 2.2 Holi and the Inversion of Caste Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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3. Module 3

   Populism vs Persuasion

   Led by Clifford Geertz Simulacrum

   The question

   Brahminical authority operated through textual mastery and philosophical argument. Hindu nationalism operates through identity, performance, and exclusion. Weber wrote *The Religion of India* in 1916. What does his sociology of religious authority reveal about what has changed?

   Outcome

   The student can apply Weber's charisma and routinisation concepts to Hindu nationalist politics.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 3.1 Charisma and Routinisation in the RSS Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 3.2 Essay: Persuasion and Its Replacement Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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4. Module 4

   Social Identitarianism vs Cultural Mixing

   Led by Clifford Geertz Simulacrum

   The question

   Kabir refused both Hindu and Muslim identity. The Babri Masjid demolition corrected a category violation. Douglas says: dirt is matter out of place. What does pollution theory reveal about how contemporary Hindutva draws and enforces its boundaries?

   Outcome

   The student can apply Douglas's pollution theory to caste boundaries and contemporary Hindu-Muslim relations.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 4.1 Kabir and the Refusal of Pollution Categories Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 4.2 Essay: The Demolition of Babri Masjid Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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5. Module 5

   Theatrical Exhibition vs Reflection

   Led by Clifford Geertz Simulacrum

   The question

   Modi dresses as a sannyāsī, governs as a CEO, and performs as a film star. The BJP rally is a total theatrical environment. Goffman's dramaturgical framework was built for dinner parties. Does it scale to the management of 1.4 billion people's religious identity?

   Outcome

   The student can apply Goffman's dramaturgical framework to contemporary Hindu political performance and write a synthesis essay on the classical-contemporary distance.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 5.1 The Modi Performance Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 5.2 Final Essay: The Alleged Distance Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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