Project Man\u00adag\u00ader: Dr. Mar\u00adtin Christof-F\u00fcch\u00adsle
Direc\u00adtion: Prof. Dr. Ravi Ahu\u00adja
Project Sta\u00adtus: running <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project aims at fur\u00adther\u00ading the analy\u00adsis of process\u00ades of entan\u00adgle\u00adments between India and Ger\u00admany in the sphere of intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal his\u00adto\u00adry. The focus is on the devel\u00adop\u00adments in the era of Impe\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal Ger\u00admany as well as the Weimar Repub\u00adlic. Around the year 1920 on the one hand, there is a pal\u00adpa\u00adble fas\u00adci\u00adna\u00adtion of the Ger\u00adman pub\u00adlic with every\u00adthing Indi\u00adan. On the oth\u00ader, from the end of the 19th<\/sup> cen\u00adtu\u00adry onwards, Indi\u00adan con\u00adcepts as for exam\u00adple the doc\u00adtrine of kar\u00adma<\/em> and rein\u00adcar\u00adna\u00adtion, as well as cul\u00adtur\u00adal prac\u00adtices like yoga<\/em> find their way into social and cul\u00adtur\u00adal move\u00adments belong\u00ading to the range of Leben\u00adsre\u00adform<\/em> via the recep\u00adtion of Bud\u00addhism and the Theo\u00adsoph\u00adi\u00adcal soci\u00adeties. While trac\u00ading these devel\u00adop\u00adments and the images of India that they pro\u00adduce, it is intend\u00aded to cap\u00adture not only the influ\u00adence of promi\u00adnent pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnists of Indi\u00adan cul\u00adture in Ger\u00admany (e.g. Rabindranath Tagore), but also that of less known Indi\u00adans and their inter\u00adac\u00adtions with Ger\u00adman schol\u00adars, intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adals and artists in var\u00adi\u00adous fields. Tak\u00ading into account the recep\u00adtion of and reac\u00adtions to the Ger\u00adman images of India as well as the dis\u00adcours\u00ades result\u00ading in the sub\u00adcon\u00adti\u00adnent, an attempt is made to pro\u00advide a view of Indo-Ger\u00adman entan\u00adgle\u00adments that goes beyond the dis\u00adcus\u00adsion of imageries of \u2018the Ori\u00adent\u2019 or \u2018the Occi\u00addent\u2019, respec\u00adtive\u00adly, in ana\u00adlyz\u00ading mutu\u00adal per\u00adson\u00adal encoun\u00adters and inter\u00adac\u00adtions in the sense of a transna\u00adtion\u00adal history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sources on which the project draws are the writ\u00adings of the Indol\u00ado\u00adgists of the era under scruti\u00adny, espe\u00adcial\u00adly those intend\u00aded to reach a broad\u00ader pub\u00adlic. With respect to Bud\u00addhism, the Theo\u00adsoph\u00adi\u00adcal soci\u00adeties as well as the var\u00adi\u00adous groups belong\u00ading to the range of Leben\u00adsre\u00adform<\/em>, pub\u00adlished mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal has to be con\u00adsult\u00aded, first and fore\u00admost that to be found in jour\u00adnals, which were impor\u00adtant forums of dis\u00adcus\u00adsion. Fur\u00adther, per\u00adson\u00adal papers and lit\u00ader\u00adary estates of pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnists are impor\u00adtant, as e.g. the volu\u00admi\u00adnous papers of the lead\u00ading Ger\u00adman theosophist Wil\u00adhelm H\u00fcbbe-Schlei\u00adden, kept \/ housed in the G\u00f6t\u00adtin\u00adgen State and Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty Library. In var\u00adi\u00adous spe\u00adcial archives (as e.g. that of the Ger\u00adman Youth Move\u00adment), but also state and com\u00admu\u00adnal archives there is fur\u00adther mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal to indi\u00advid\u00adual move\u00adments and asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtions. The take of the estab\u00adlished Chris\u00adt\u00adian church\u00ades on those new reli\u00adgious groups or reform move\u00adments is to be gleaned from mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal in the church archives, as e.g. the files of the Apolo\u00adgetis\u00adche Cen\u00adtrale kept in the Archiv des Werkes f\u00fcr Diakonie und Entwick\u00adlung, Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project pro\u00advides the oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to local\u00adize and make acces\u00adsi\u00adble archival mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal relat\u00ading to the recep\u00adtion of India in the Leben\u00adsre\u00adform<\/em> and Youth move\u00adments, Bud\u00addhism and Theos\u00ado\u00adphy. Fur\u00adther, it will show that the intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal exchange was not restrict\u00aded to a uni\u00addi\u00adrec\u00adtion\u00adal trans\u00adfer or recep\u00adtion of Indi\u00adan con\u00adcepts by Ger\u00admans and the sub\u00adse\u00adquent pro\u00adduc\u00adtion of author\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtive inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtions of those. More often than not, the exchange was based on dia\u00adlogue and thus also char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adized by the agency of the indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals and groups on the Indi\u00adan side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Occultism, Theos\u00ado\u00adphy and the \u201areli\u00adgion of rea\u00adson\u2018 \u2013 Indo-Ger\u00adman entan\u00adgle\u00adments and reli\u00adgious move\u00adments in Impe\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal Ger\u00admany (1871\u20131918).<\/p>\n\n\n\n A cen\u00adtral focus of the cur\u00adrent project is the devel\u00adop\u00adment of Theos\u00ado\u00adphy in Ger\u00admany, a move\u00adment show\u00ading affini\u00adties to West\u00adern occultism, Spiritism and eso\u00adteri\u00adcism. On the oth\u00ader hand, it devel\u00adoped into an impor\u00adtant vehi\u00adcle of dis\u00adsem\u00adi\u00adnat\u00ading Indi\u00adan reli\u00adgious con\u00adcepts as e.g. the doc\u00adtrine of kar\u00adma and rein\u00adcar\u00adna\u00adtion. The ini\u00adtial recep\u00adtion of yoga as phi\u00adlos\u00ado\u00adphy and spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal prac\u00adtice is also to a great extant hap\u00adpen\u00ading in the envi\u00adron\u00adment of the theo\u00adsoph\u00adi\u00adcal move\u00adment. Final\u00adly, the height\u00adened inter\u00adest in Bud\u00addhism in the last decades of the 19th<\/sup> cen\u00adtu\u00adry in Ger\u00admany as well as the estab\u00adlish\u00adment of the ear\u00adli\u00adest Bud\u00addhist asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtions and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adties between the turn of the cen\u00adtu\u00adry and the First World War is also to be seen in rela\u00adtion to the pop\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adiza\u00adtion of Bud\u00addhism by the first gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of theo\u00adsoph\u00adi\u00adcal lead\u00aders (esp. Colonel Olcott and his Bud\u00addhist Cat\u00ade\u00adchism, 1881). Ini\u00adtial\u00adly, there had been inter\u00adac\u00adtion and shared orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion\u00adal struc\u00adtures (as e.g. pub\u00adlish\u00ading hous\u00ades) between Ger\u00adman Theos\u00ado\u00adphy and Ger\u00adman Bud\u00addhists, how\u00adev\u00ader, soon there devel\u00adoped ten\u00adden\u00adcies to high\u00adlight the incompatibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the analy\u00adsis of the com\u00adplex spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal and reli\u00adgious devel\u00adop\u00adments the research will focus on Wil\u00adhelm H\u00fcbbe-Schlei\u00adden (1846\u20131916). He was an impor\u00adtant fig\u00adure in the his\u00adto\u00adry and orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion\u00adal devel\u00adop\u00adment of Ger\u00adman Theos\u00ado\u00adphy, a for\u00admer cham\u00adpi\u00adon of the Ger\u00adman colo\u00adnial move\u00adment, he trav\u00adelled to India in search of spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal progress and prac\u00adticed yoga even before that. On the one hand, he had affini\u00adties to Ger\u00adman occultism as well as to the con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive \u2018v\u00f6lkisch\u2019 milieu. On the oth\u00ader \u2013 fol\u00adlow\u00ading his sojourn in India from 1894\u20131896 \u2013 he not only moved in the cir\u00adcles of Indi\u00adan Theosophists, but active\u00adly sought con\u00adtact with Hin\u00addu reform\u00aders, pro\u00adpo\u00adnents of a Bud\u00addhist revival in India, as well as Brah\u00admin Gurus and intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adals. In this respect, besides his many pub\u00adli\u00adca\u00adtions on Theos\u00ado\u00adphy in jour\u00adnals and books as well as region\u00adal stud\u00adies of South Asia (Indi\u00aden und die Indi\u00ader, 1898), sources of great impor\u00adtance are to be found in his per\u00adson\u00adal papers com\u00adpris\u00ading let\u00adters, diaries and unpub\u00adlished man\u00adu\u00adscripts, held in the Man\u00adu\u00adscripts Col\u00adlec\u00adtion of the G\u00f6t\u00adtin\u00adgen SUB<\/span>. From these sources emerges the image of a mul\u00adti\u00adfac\u00adeted fig\u00adure embed\u00added in a transna\u00adtion\u00adal net\u00adwork of intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal entan\u00adgle\u00adments, who will be tak\u00aden as a start\u00ading point for the descrip\u00adtion and analy\u00adsis of the spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal and reli\u00adgious devel\u00adop\u00adments in Impe\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal Ger\u00admany in its con\u00adnec\u00adtions and inter\u00adac\u00adtions with Indi\u00adan actors and concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is the inten\u00adtion of the researcher to move beyond the recon\u00adstruc\u00adtion of the mutu\u00adal images of the oth\u00ader, i.e. Ger\u00adman images of \u201cthe Ori\u00adent\u201d and Indi\u00adan images of \u201cthe Occi\u00addent\u201d. Instead, Indi\u00adan voic\u00ades and the role of Indi\u00adan agents in for\u00admu\u00adlat\u00ading the inter\u00adtwined dis\u00adcours\u00ades of Yoga, Theos\u00ado\u00adphy and Bud\u00addhism will be high\u00adlight\u00aded. This approach aims to go beyond the focus\u00ading on Ger\u00adman images of India that is char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtic for e.g. Per\u00adry Myers\u2019 mono\u00adgraph Ger\u00adman Visions of India, 1871\u20131918: Com\u00adman\u00addeer\u00ading the Holy Ganges dur\u00ading the Kaiser\u00adre\u00adich<\/em>. It will be shown that over and above the then preva\u00adlent images of \u201cEast and West\u201d, there were inter\u00adcul\u00adtur\u00adal con\u00adtacts based on mutu\u00adal recog\u00adni\u00adtion that went beyond the mere recep\u00adtion and val\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion of the respec\u00adtive stereo\u00adtypes of occi\u00adden\u00adtal ratio\u00adnal\u00adi\u00adty and ori\u00aden\u00adtal spirituality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-322","project","type-project","status-publish","hentry","category-projects"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCurrent Research:<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n