The Religious, the Spiritual, and the Secular: Auroville and Secular India (S U N Y Series in Religious Studies) - Softcover

Minor, Robert N.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0791439925 ISBN 13: 9780791439920

Publisher: State University of New York Press, 1998

Synopsis

An account of the city of Auroville, the vision of founder and well-known guru Sri Aurobindo. Auroville's eventual takeover and the promotion of its goals by the Indian government leads to a thought-provoking discussion of the meaning of "secularism" in India.

The Religious, the Spiritual, and the Secular presents an account of Auroville, a city in contemporary southeast India, and the vision of founder and well-known guru Sri Aurobindo. Auroville’s eventual takeover and the promotion of its goals by the Indian government leads to a thought-provoking discussion of the meaning of “secularism” in India.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert N. Minor is Professor of Religious Studies at The University of Kansas and author of several books, including Modern Indian Interpreters of the Bhagavadgita and Radhakrishnan: A Religious Biography, both published by SUNY Press, and Sri Aurobindo: The Perfect and the Good.

Review:

“The author manages to do two significant things in this book: He teases out the ambiguities in the understanding and use of the terms ‘the religious,’ ‘the spiritual,’ and ‘the secular’ with respect to Auroville, and, in the process, he manages to tell the story of Auroville, a community that is famous or infamous, depending on one’s perspective. It is the element of story that makes the book an exciting and fascinating read.” ― Ronald Neufeldt, University of Calgary

“Minor has been following the Sri Aurobindo movement for more than twenty years. He shows mastery of the scholarly discussions regarding the concept of the secular state and also the legislative and judicial discussions which impact the daily lives of the citizens of India.” ― Kay K. Jordan, Radford University

About this edition

• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0791439925
• ISBN 13: 9780791439920
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 228