01869nam a22001937a 4500 20260528103355.0 260528b |||||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d 9780199451814 200 VAI Vaithees, V. Ravi. Religion And Nation In South India : Maraimalai Adigal, The Neo-saivite Movement, and Tamil Nationalism 1876-1950 / V. Ravi Vaithees First edition. New Delhi : Oxford University Press India , 2015. xix, 347 p. ; 24 cm. The extraordinary power and solidity of regional ethno-nationalist identities such as the Tamil in South Asia continue to defy easy explanations. In this work, Ravi Vaithees, departing sharply from conventional 'secular' accounts, examines the deeper religious roots of Tamil/Dravidian identity formation and its relationship to broader processes of nationality formation in South Asia. Through a close and innovative reading of the life and career of Maraimalai Adigal (1876-1950), who played a central role in consolidating the intellectual and cultural foundation for non-Brahmin Tamil nationalism and the Dravidian movement, the author presents interesting insights into the history of the neo-Saivite revival. The neo-Saivite articulation of non-Brahmin Tamil nationalism endowed it with a critical spirit that not only eschewed the philosophical idealism found in Brahmanism and neo-Vedantic thought but also celebrated the more firmly grounded, earthy and sensuous Tamil tradition reflected in ancient Tamil and Bhakti poetry and Tamil Saiva Siddhanta. This has been brought forth by drawing from a range of influences including colonial and Christian missionary critiques of Brahminism and neo-Vedantic currents. Hindu religious movements Religion and politics -- India VC OFFICE 68239 68239 0 0 ddc 0 1 SNUL SNUL 2026-05-28 0 200 VAI VC622 2026-05-28 10:33:17 2026-05-28 VC OFFICE Books Received from VC office