German Indology

[jonathan.silk at wmich.edu]

Realizing this is not entirely appropriate for the list, I will keep this
brief:

Lack of scholarly prejudice is essential, and there is perhaps nothing less
important than the national origin of a scholar.  That said, I find the
following comment entirely disingenuous:
The cardinal sin of the Germans is that they dared try to colonize the
great colonizers, and the former colonial powers and their allies will
never forgive them for this. Hence, outside Germany, we grow up learning
that villains (as in cheap movies and novels) have German names and
speak with German accents and listen to Wagner's music,...

Non-Germans after the Second World War grew up seeing Germans in cheap movies
and novels as villains because the German nation, systematically, tried to
plow under the rest of the world. Period.  Perhaps it is *my* background as a
Jew which makes me particularly sensitive to this.  The fact is, this has
absolutely nothing to do with scholarship in general, much less Indology in
particular. Vilification of Germans has nothing to do with colonialism,
unless you consider Panzers the agents of colonialism.

-- Sorry to get so far away from Indologica.  I will try not to stray again.

J Silk