The Modern Spirit of Asia

The Modern Spirit of Asia

Peter van der Veer
This book examines India and China and the ways in which they have been transformed by Western imperial modernity…. The complexities of Indian and Chinese societies and their modern transformation are vast.… The nation–form itself is a global form that emerges in the nineteenth century and cannot be understood as the product of one particular society. It is the dominant societal form today, and India and China have gradually developed into nation–states…. India and China are taking on a globally available form that is characteristic for modernity, but they are following quite different pathways….
The presence of Christianity, Islam and Judaism in Asia long precedes European expansion and spread of Asian religions, like Buddhism and Hinduism. In fact, Judaism, Christianity and Islam all originate in West–Asia and are Asian religions….

Reviews
The Modern Spirit of Asia challenges the notion that modernity in China and India are derivative imitations of the West, arguing that these societies have transformed their ancient traditions in unique and distinctive ways. Peter van der Veer begins with nineteenth–century imperial history, exploring how Western concepts of spirituality, secularity, religion, and magic were used to translate the traditions of India and China. He traces how modern Western notions of religion and magic were incorporated into the respective nation–building projects of Chinese and Indian nationalist intellectuals, yet how modernity in China and India is by no means uniform. While religion is a centerpiece of Indian nationalism, it is viewed in China as an obstacle to progress that must be marginalized and controlled.

Talal Asad
This wonderful book traces the way interactions with Western imperial power have shaped aspects of nationalism in the two emerging Asian giants, China and India. Peter van der Veer knows these two societies intimately, which is one reason why his study is so perceptive and so informative. At once highly readable and scholarly, The Modern Spirit of Asia is strongly recommended for specialists and nonspecialists alike.

Prasenjit Duara
Peter van der Veer has written an important book on a fascinating topic. He shows how the secular projects in India and China are central to modernity and state formation in these societies, yet argues that the secular itself is not free from religion, spirituality, and the magical.