HINDREP

Early modern Catholic representations of Hinduism

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'This two-year project is a contribution to the current post-colonial debates on orientalism and, more specifically, on the extent to which Hinduism was also a European construction. The aim is to analyze the representations that Catholic missionaries developed between the Seventeenth and the early Eighteenth centuries to interpret Hinduism. The period considered follows the end of the Portuguese monopoly on the sea route to India and precedes the emergence of secular indology. From the early seventeenth century, Jesuit missionaries as Giacomo Fenicio, Roberto Nobili and Gonçalo Fernandes composed detailed descriptions of Indian “heathenism” that were circulated in manuscript form and plagiarized extensively. Elementary notions of Hinduism were found in printed versions of Jesuit letters and in works published by members of other religious orders. Using archival material, printed works and visual sources, I will analyse how theology, antiquarianism and classical learning were deployed in order to understand a religion that the missionaries wanted to replace with Catholicism. By basing myself at the Warburg Institute, London, I will be trained in the study of the classical tradition and early modern scholarship; moreover, I will benefit substantially from the Institute’s world-renowned tradition of using visual sources as evidence of anthropological representations. My project will test the hypothesis of a specifically Catholic early modern representation of Hinduism by examining the tensions between a common Catholic framework and differences in national backgrounds and religious orders, as well as investigating the circulation of indological knowledge in Europe between Catholics and Protestants. The goal is a book that will contribute to a comprehensive history of the relations between Europe and India. Europe needs to be aware of these complex processes, as a multipolar world takes shape and India becomes a major economic, political and cultural actor.'

Descrizione progetto (Article)

With India's growing economic and other importance to Europe, Europeans would benefit from a better understanding of Indian issues. Hinduism is central both to Indian ways and historical European colonial interaction with India.

The EU-funded project 'Early modern Catholic representations of Hinduism' (HINDREP) aimed to show how Hinduism was interpreted by Europeans during the early modern period. Administered under the Marie Curie programme 'Promoting Science', the project also had the goal of developing researcher skills. The undertaking ran throughout all of 2011 and 2012.

During the first year, relevant historical materials were reviewed and a preliminary analysis was carried out. The work involved research visits, conference attendance and contributions to an expert panel. Other project activities included training in Sanskrit and Tamil languages, and the use of databases.

In the second year, the material was systematically analysed, including everything about Catholic interpretations on Hinduism, identifying hitherto unknown developments and linkages. A conference was organised on the topic, and numerous papers were published. Further work included preparation for the publication of additional articles and monographs, as well as tutoring of young scholars.

HINDREP succeeded in boosting interaction among scholars, especially in terms of research and research management skills. The field thus also benefited from the informal network established, meaning a clearer understanding of the historical interactions between Europe and India.