Indology and "the disastrous ideology of the 'pure Aryan race'"
Jan E.M. Houben
j_e_m_houben at YAHOO.COM
Fri Jan 5 08:48:41 UTC 2007
Good morning, Reinhold,
See my previous comments on that memorable
meeting in Leipzig, and why I referred to the
mentioned issues of ZDMG ... My position is clear
to those who take the time to read my previous
mails on Making the Argument for Sanskrit. I have
no further comments to add at this moment, and
still a lot of homework to do among which, yes,
also writing to the Berlin authorities -- rest
assured, in my letters to them I will not refer
to the sensitive period in
German-European-International indology.
Cheers,
JH
--- gruenendahl
<gruenen at MAIL.SUB.UNI-GOETTINGEN.DE> wrote:
> On 4 Jan 2007 at 6:40, Jan E.M. Houben wrote:
>
> > In view of the turn the discussion of the
> > explosively sensitive topic of the history of
> > Indology is taking it is probably indeed
> better
> > to face this problem in a trans-national
> context
> > and keep it for a separate thread (and a
> section
> > in the planned Indology FAQ).
>
>
> I fully agree with Professor Houben's
> proposition to decouple the two issues. It
> will
> be remembered, I hope, that it was not my idea
> to insinuate a connection between
> them.
>
> Then why not start the separate thread now?
>
> Before the discussion (if any) turns to more
> complex issues, I should like to assess the
> current state
> of affairs by asking a few simple questions:
>
> Does Professor Houben or any other member of
> this list maintain any of the following
> positions
> (all quoted from his paper:
>
http://www.iias.nl/iiasn/iiasn7/south/houben.html):
>
> 1) That there was a "positive relations which
> some indologists at least maintained with the
> German government
> and its disastrous ideology of the 'pure Aryan
> race' before and during the period of the
> Second World War period",
> and if so, where do these relations surface in
> indological writings of that period?
>
> 2) that "selected articles and notices of the
> volumes 92-98 (1938-44) and 99 (1945-49) of
> the Zeitschrift [der] Deutsche[n]
> Morgenländische[n] Gesellschaft" would yield
> any evidence
> in support of position #1, and if so, which;
>
> 3) that "S. Pollock's provocative "Deep
> Orientalism: Notes on Sanskrit and Power Beyond
> the Raj"
> (in Van der Veer and Beckenridge, The
> Postcolonial Predicament, Philadelphia, 1993)",
> make
> "essential reading for a well-informed
> discussion" in so far as [my addition:] it
> contains an intellectually
> sound argument in support of his claims or
> position #1, and if so, which.
>
> Please correct me if I should have
> misinterpreted Professor Houben's positions in
> any way.
> By settling these simple questions in his
> favour, I think, Professor Houben could rally
> more support for
> his case than by any other means.
>
> As indicated, two criteria would be very
> helpful: 1) that the evidence is concrete and
> verifiable by book,
> chapter and verse; 2) that it is relevant to
> the context.
>
>
>
>
> As for the prospected FAQ section, a section
> for FRF (frequently repeated fabrications) may
> also
> be a good idea.
>
>
> Greetings
> Reinhold Grünendahl
>
>
>
>
********************************************************************
>
> Dr. Reinhold Gruenendahl
> Niedersaechsische Staats- und
> Universitaetsbibliothek
> Fachreferat sued- und suedostasiatische
> Philologien
> (Dept. of Indology)
>
> 37070 Goettingen, Germany
> Tel (+49) (0)5 51 / 39 52 83
> Fax (+49) (0)5 51 / 39 23 61
> gruenen at mail.sub.uni-goettingen.de
>
> FACH-INFORMATIONEN INDOLOGIE, GOETTINGEN:
>
http://www.sub.uni-goettingen.de/ebene_1/fiindolo/fiindolo.htm
> In English:
>
http://www.sub.uni-goettingen.de/ebene_1/fiindolo/fiindole.htm
>
> GRETIL - Goettingen Register of Electronic
> Texts in Indian Languages
>
http://www.sub.uni-goettingen.de/ebene_1/fiindolo/gretil.htm
>
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