Utopia / Dystopia

[Luis Gonzalez-Reimann]

Mary,

For traditional materials you should look at the theory of the yugas. A 
good rendering of descriptions of the yugas (with many refs. to primary 
texts) is:

von Stietencron, Heinrich. 1986. Calculating Religious Decay: The 
Kaliyuga in India, in von Stietencron, Heinrich, /Hindu Myth, Hindu 
History: Religion, Art, and Politics/. New Delhi: Permanent Black, 31-49.

My book, /The Mahabharata and the Yugas/ (Peter Lang, 2002), translates 
some sections from the /Mahabharata/ and discusses the idea of the Kali 
Yuga , the worst age.

Then there is the Tibetan Shambhala, which might interest you. For that, 
you can start with:

/The Way to Shambhala: a Search for the Mythical Kingdom Beyond the 
Himalayas/. Edwin Bernbaum, 2001.

Luis González-Reimann
_____


on 4/13/2010 9:26 AM JKirkpatrick wrote:
>  
> A famous publication was Begam Rokeya Sakhawat Husain's
> _Sultana's Dream_(1905)--a feminist utopia where all gender roles
> are reversed. 
>
> Bankim Chandra Chatterji's _Anandamath_ could be viewed or
> appreciated as a both a dystopian representation of British rule
> and a utopian dream of Indian political freedom, although it's
> technically not a utopia per se.
>
> I've not read the book, but Ashish Nandy's  _Traditions, Tyranny,
> and Utopias: Essays in the Politics of Awareness_. Delhi, New
> York: Oxford UP, 1987. New York: Oxford UP, 1992 might have some
> use for your query.
>
> Then there is the Ramrajya theory--are there any texts--classical
> or not-- exploring this utopian concept?  
>
> Best wishes,
> Joanna K.
>
> ===================
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Indologists,
>
> I am looking for possible distinctive descriptions of utopias /
> dystopias in Indian literature. I hope to find something that
> might parallel ideas in Plato's Republic or Thomas More's Utopia.
>
> I am looking for descriptions of self-contained paradigmatic
> societies- either ideal or wretched.
>
> Any ideas would be most welcome.
>
> I hope that wherever you are it is cooler than New Delhi!
>
> Mary Storm
>
> Mary Storm, Ph.D.
> Academic Director and Lecturer
> India: National Identity and the Arts
> and
> Himalayan Buddhist Art and Architecture
> SIT Study Abroad
> http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad
> F 301 Lado Sarai
> New Delhi 110030 India
> Mobile: +91 98106 98003
>
>