How the Terms “Spirituality” and “Secularism” Appeared and Have Worked in Modern India
This paper examines the usage of English terms related to the important religious concepts of “spirituality” and “secularism” in and around modern India, employing the simple DH (Digital Humanities) approach of “counting.” The seemingly opposite terms “spirituality” and “secularism” are both essenti...
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| Language: | English |
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World Scientific Publishing
2024-07-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Indian and Asian Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S2717541324400072 |
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| author | KANA TOMIZAWA |
| author_facet | KANA TOMIZAWA |
| author_sort | KANA TOMIZAWA |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper examines the usage of English terms related to the important religious concepts of “spirituality” and “secularism” in and around modern India, employing the simple DH (Digital Humanities) approach of “counting.” The seemingly opposite terms “spirituality” and “secularism” are both essential key notions for the religiosity of the modern world and India, particularly. Like opposite sides of the same coin, they form a conceptual pair that expresses modern universalism and have functioned to mediate and bridge differences in culture and values. Despite the importance, however, scholars have yet to examine how and when the terms themselves have been used thoroughly. This paper explores the usage of these terms in some English-language texts in and around modern India, focusing on the changes in the frequency of their use in the online databases of the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda and the Times of India. These examinations show that these English words were used in more unique and active ways in India than is often assumed. The modern use of these terms was not necessarily due to Western influence but was, at least partly, developed by modern Indians. In some cases, the Indian usage may have even preceded and influenced the new appearance of these terms in the West. This paper suggests that what we perceive as “modern” is at least partly the product of the agency and participation of the non-Western world, including India. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cdede84f00ed4907aa03dbd2a6fa0fec |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2717-5413 2717-5766 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | World Scientific Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Indian and Asian Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-cdede84f00ed4907aa03dbd2a6fa0fec2025-08-20T01:59:01ZengWorld Scientific PublishingThe Journal of Indian and Asian Studies2717-54132717-57662024-07-01050210.1142/S2717541324400072How the Terms “Spirituality” and “Secularism” Appeared and Have Worked in Modern IndiaKANA TOMIZAWAThis paper examines the usage of English terms related to the important religious concepts of “spirituality” and “secularism” in and around modern India, employing the simple DH (Digital Humanities) approach of “counting.” The seemingly opposite terms “spirituality” and “secularism” are both essential key notions for the religiosity of the modern world and India, particularly. Like opposite sides of the same coin, they form a conceptual pair that expresses modern universalism and have functioned to mediate and bridge differences in culture and values. Despite the importance, however, scholars have yet to examine how and when the terms themselves have been used thoroughly. This paper explores the usage of these terms in some English-language texts in and around modern India, focusing on the changes in the frequency of their use in the online databases of the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda and the Times of India. These examinations show that these English words were used in more unique and active ways in India than is often assumed. The modern use of these terms was not necessarily due to Western influence but was, at least partly, developed by modern Indians. In some cases, the Indian usage may have even preceded and influenced the new appearance of these terms in the West. This paper suggests that what we perceive as “modern” is at least partly the product of the agency and participation of the non-Western world, including India.https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S2717541324400072OrientalismspiritualitysecularismDH (Digital Humanities)religiosityoverlapping modernity |
| spellingShingle | KANA TOMIZAWA How the Terms “Spirituality” and “Secularism” Appeared and Have Worked in Modern India The Journal of Indian and Asian Studies Orientalism spirituality secularism DH (Digital Humanities) religiosity overlapping modernity |
| title | How the Terms “Spirituality” and “Secularism” Appeared and Have Worked in Modern India |
| title_full | How the Terms “Spirituality” and “Secularism” Appeared and Have Worked in Modern India |
| title_fullStr | How the Terms “Spirituality” and “Secularism” Appeared and Have Worked in Modern India |
| title_full_unstemmed | How the Terms “Spirituality” and “Secularism” Appeared and Have Worked in Modern India |
| title_short | How the Terms “Spirituality” and “Secularism” Appeared and Have Worked in Modern India |
| title_sort | how the terms spirituality and secularism appeared and have worked in modern india |
| topic | Orientalism spirituality secularism DH (Digital Humanities) religiosity overlapping modernity |
| url | https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S2717541324400072 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kanatomizawa howthetermsspiritualityandsecularismappearedandhaveworkedinmodernindia |