A Hindu Education: Early Years of the Banaras Hindu University

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What makes an individual or institution Hindu? What is a Hindu education? Can religious identity co-exist with modern western institutions? What is the role of religion and higher education in nationalism? A Hindu Education provides a comprehensive account of the nature of education at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), one of the most influential Indian institutions during the late colonial period.

BHU played major role in the creation of a nationalist sentiment during India's independence movement. Situating the institution in the larger context of a movement to foster Hindu Identity, the author investigates the designs of British Officials and Indian founders of the university for uniting students from diverse backgrounds under a common banner of Hinduism. She discusses the administration, academics, publications, student life, and political atmosphere in the early years of BHU. She also shows how the university responded to various challenges faced by the institution in the context of colonialism, Hindu-Muslim relations, and the independence movement.

The book explores the complex inter-relationships between religion, education, identity formation, and resistance patterns. It re-examines the general view of most modern scholarship on religious nationalism grounded in the assumption that nationalism thrives only in modern, secular cultures. It also offers a different perspective on university education in colonial India.

This book will be useful for students and scholars of modern Indian history, sociology, educationalists, and those interested in religious nationalism and Hindu identity in colonial India.

About the Author

Leah Renold is Visiting Lecturer, Department of History, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.