"Occi-centric" values in Vedic Studies?

[y.r.rani at mail.utexas.edu]

Re: Messages from U.S. senators
Sorry Indology list,
I don't THINK that I sent this message with my theory about the Jesse Helms
message TWICE!?!?
Strange. . .
At least I didn't accidently send in that "Good Luck Totem" chain letter!!! <g>

I was relieved when Narahari Achar commented on Peter Gaeffke's statement.
I'm not a student of the Hindu classics and therefore should perhaps not
even be a member of Indology, however in regards to Peter Gaeffke's message
Re: Hinduja's demise at NY.  He stated insightfully:

> This is not just a philological activity but an
>attempt to get a clearer insight in the intellectual and
>cultural/religious changes in the course of time.

But then he made this statement which contradicted the previous one:
>Then you get "neo" hinduistic interpretations of the past, which can
>be interesting in themselves but are not valid in their assessment
>of the past in a more scholarly sense.

Though I understand the reasoning that compells Mr. Gaeffke to make this
statement, I have difficulty swallowing the underlying "occi-centric"
values in this type of perspective from those who study ancient India. I
think this way of thinking needs to be problematized, in a more scholarly
sense!

Thanks to Mr. Achar for pointing this out!

Yvette