Hindu Studies Pushes Boundaries of Scholarship and Criticism

Prof. Sahu’s multidisciplinary work maps Hinduism as both a lived tradition and a system of ideas—resisting monolithic portrayals while engaging critically with caste, gender, and power.

Prof. Nandini Sahu has written Hindu Studies: Foundations and Frameworks. This literary piece has brought about a groundbreaking revolution in the field of literature and criticism. It was published in 2024. Hindu Studies is one of the most discussed and criticised interdisciplinary academic fields. It demonstrates the author's rigour and forward-thinking approach to her methodology. The book is organised into ten thematic parts, weaving together disciplines such as theology, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, art history, and literary studies. Central to its framework is a commitment to cultural materialism as a theoretical foundation, which shapes the textual, contextual, socio-historical, and ethnographic analyses employed throughout the volume.

In the second chapter of the present book, “The Hindu Texts and Contexts”. Here, the author offers a broad engagement with foundational works from the Vedas and Upanishads. Additionally, the great epics of Indian culture, The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, Purana, and Smritis, which are oral traditions and ritual practices, are included. This wide textual base includes novel hypotheses, such as interpreting Dashavatara through an evolutionary lens inspired by Darwin. While this breadth is commendable, some critics argue that the emphasis on Sanskritic elite texts still overshadows vernacular, folk, Dalit, and regional voices, reinforcing Brahmanical perspectives at the expense of marginalised traditions.

The third chapter unpacks both the Astika and the Nastika systems in a very systematic manner. Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, and Vedanta, alongside heterodox schools like Buddhism, Jainism, and Charvaka. The author further extends her discussion to modern ethical frameworks, drawing connections from Gandhi’s principle of ahimsa to global movements led by Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. Later on, the next chapter thoroughly expresses the theme of philosophy with careful attention. The author’s desire to integrate classical thought with contemporary ethical discourse. However, readers and researchers will find the fusion of genealogy and ideology in the present chapter. The author has seriously overextended in interdisciplinary sections where textual and sociological analyses overlap densely.

The author has followed with careful attention, methodological rigour, and interdisciplinary depth in the present literary work. The book’s methodological robustness stands out. It has combined historical gradient studies, ethnographic fieldwork, comparative models, and textual interpretation with cultural materialist theory. Even the author has projected her ambitious voice through the text. Mapping Hinduism as both a lived tradition and a system of ideas, and making visible regional and non-canonical practices often marginalised in institutional scholarship. By doing so, she advocates for decolonising knowledge systems and creating a truly inclusive discipline of Hindu Studies.

The present book has presented a very critical and analytical interpretation of social dimensions. The author’s ideology and perception of class, caste, gender, and modernity are systematically depicted in the said book. A notable strength lies in her sustained critical attention to social and ethical dimensions—especially caste, gender, class, and power structures inherent in Hindu tradition. These chapters push against sanitised or monolithic portrayals, engaging instead with social realities and contentious issues such as caste discrimination and gender hierarchies. Similarly, discussions of Hinduism’s global trajectory, diasporic flows, interfaith engagement, and modern intersections add urgency and relevance to her framework.

As a reader, I have gone through several strengths and limitations as well. The present text is an exceptional interdisciplinary synthesis of philosophy, literature, cultural studies, sociology, and anthropology. It also engages methodologically rigorous and critically engaged approaches, including ethnography, historical depth, and materialist theory.

It systematically presents a socio-ethical focus, gives visibility to marginalised voices, and frames Hinduism as a dynamic, inclusive system. The gap is concerned only with two things that strike my mind as a reader; despite its breadth, the emphasis remains skewed toward Sanskritic and elite textual traditions, with relatively limited grassroots or vernacular textual analysis. Theoretical density may feel overwhelming for general readers; occasional overreach into ideological terrain sometimes clouds clarity.

Hindu Studies: Foundations and Frameworks is a landmark effort rich in scope, deeply interdisciplinary, critically engaged, and intellectually bold. Prof. Sahu brings methodological sophistication and cultural sensitivity to Hindu Studies, establishing a fresh framework with both scholarly depth and social relevance. While its complexity may challenge some, its vision is indispensable for academia and anyone invested in a pluralistic, critical, and decolonial understanding of Hindu traditions in the twenty-first century.

(The writer is an assistant professor of English literature. Views personal.)