Orientalism and Religion offers us a timely discussion of the implications of contemporary postcolonial theory for the study of religion. Richard King examines the way in which notions such as ‘mysticism’, ‘religion’, ‘Hinduism’ and ‘Buddhism’ are taken for granted. He shows us how ‘religion’ might be redescribed in terms of cultural studies. Drawing on a variety of post-structuralist and postcolonial thinkers, such as Foucault, Gadamer, Said and Spivak, King provides us with a challenging series of reflections on the nature of religious studies and indology. Orientalism and Religion is a significant and important contribution to debates about the nature of religion, the future of cross-cultural analysis and the implications of the orientalist debate for the study of India. Religion and postcolonial students and scholars, and anyone interested in the future and history of religious studies, will find this a compelling read.
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