Transnational Intersections of Germany and India
Description
In recent decades a significant 'transnational' turn has occurred in German Studies, with the role of India in German cultural history becoming a growing area of interest, yet there are serious challenges to the historian within this. Although teleological perspectives on India as part of the historical 'fate' of Germany appear to be losing ground, the notion of a 'German fascination' with India remains central to many approaches. 'Fascination,' though, proves to be an elusive concept, and often more descriptive than analytical. But how, then, do we account for the strikingly intensive confrontation with Indian culture in Germany without falling back into general and inadequately nuanced arguments? This edited collection seeks to explore such questions and open up a more thorough analysis of the German-Indian connection.
Reviews / Votes
"The book under discussion, a collection of essays edited by Perry W. Myers, is a welcome addition to this genre. . Myers claims in the introduction that the volume aims to reach beyond Germanocentric perspectives and challenge historiographical silos or national boundaries. The book largely succeeds in fulfilling this objective." (Baijayanti Roy, German Studies Review, Vol. 48 (3), October, 2025)
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Person
Perry W. Myers is Professor of German Studies at Albion College, USA.
Content
Ch 1: Introduction.- Part 1: Philosophy, Religion, and Intellectual History.- Ch 2: India as Jewish Third Space. German-Jewish Thought, Rabindranath Tagore, and the Transnationality of Intellectual History.- Ch 3: The New Orientalist Advaita Vedanta. Max Müller's and Paul Deussen's Joint Revision of Religion and Christianity.- Ch 4: A Philosophical Critique of Manu's Code: Confronting Hegel and Nietzsche on Indian Thought.- Ch 5: Searching for Renewal of Christian Faith in India: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Fascination with Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha.- Part 2: Art and Literature.- Ch 6: Enacting Aurangzeb's Darbar in Saxony in 1700 CE.- Ch 7: The Transnational Turn(ing) of Transposed Heads: Hayavadana in Weimar.- Part 3: Connective Journeys.- Ch 8: Journeys East and West: Travelers between German-Speaking Central Europe and India, 1919-1939.- Ch 9: Herbert Fischer-a Life Story of Indo-German Entanglement.- Ch 10: Epilogue.