Burning the Dead : Hindu Nationhood and the Global Construction of Indian Tradition

__Burning the Dead__ traces the evolution of cremation in India and the South Asian diaspora across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Through interconnected histories of movement, space, identity, and affect, it examines how the so-called traditional practice of Hindu cremation on an open-air funeral pyre was culturally transformed and materially refashioned under British rule, following intense Western hostility, colonial sanitary acceptance, and Indian adaptation. David Arnold examines the critical reception of Hindu cremation abroad, particularly in Britain, where India formed a primary reference point for the cremation debates of the late nineteenth century, and explores the struggle for official recognition of cremation among Hindu and Sikh communities around the globe. Above all, Arnold foregrounds the growing public presence and assertive political use made of Hindu cremation, its increasing social inclusivity, and its close identification with Hindu reform movements and modern Indian nationhood.

Burning the Dead traces the evolution of cremation in India and the South Asian diaspora across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Through interconnected histories of movement, space, identity, and affect, it examines how the so-called traditional practice of Hindu cremation on an open-air funeral pyre was culturally transformed and materially refashioned under British rule, following intense Western hostility, colonial sanitary acceptance, and Indian adaptation. David Arnold examines the critical reception of Hindu cremation abroad, particularly in Britain, where India formed a primary reference point for the cremation debates of the late nineteenth century, and explores the struggle for official recognition of cremation among Hindu and Sikh communities around the globe. Above all, Arnold foregrounds the growing public presence and assertive political use made of Hindu cremation, its increasing social inclusivity, and its close identification with Hindu reform movements and modern Indian nationhood.

"Burning the Dead traces the evolution of cremation in India and the South Asian diaspora across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Through interconnected histories of movement, space, identity, and affect, it examines how the "traditional" practice of Hindu cremation on an open-air funeral pyre was culturally transformed and materially refashioned under British rule, following intense Western hostility, colonial sanitary acceptance, and Indian adaptation. The book examines the critical reception of Hindu cremation abroad, particularly in Britain, where India formed a primary reference point for the cremation debates of the late nineteenth century, and it explores the struggle for the official recognition of cremation among Hindu and Sikh communities around the globe. Above all, David Arnold foregrounds the growing public presence and assertive political use made of Hindu cremation, its increasingly social inclusivity, and its close identification with Hindu reform movements and modern Indian nationhood"-- Provided by publisher

Burning the Dead traces the evolution of cremation inIndia and the South Asian diaspora across the nineteenth andtwentieth centuries. Through interconnected histories of movement,space, identity, and affect, it examines how the so-calledtraditional practice of Hindu cremation on an open-air funeral pyrewas culturally transformed and materially refashioned under Britishrule, following intense Western hostility, colonial sanitaryacceptance, and Indian adaptation. David Arnold examines thecritical reception of Hindu cremation abroad, particularly inBritain, where India formed a primary reference point for thecremation debates of the late nineteenth century, and explores thestruggle for official recognition of cremation among Hindu and Sikhcommunities around the globe. Above all, Arnold foregrounds thegrowing public presence and assertive political use made of Hinducremation, its increasing social inclusivity, and its closeidentification with Hindu reform movements and modern Indiannationhood.