Orientalism’s Hinduism, Orientalism’s Islam, and the Twilight of the Subcontinental Imagination

Using the figure of ethnic Pathan/Pashtun as a trope in South Asian culture, this essay provides genealogical account modern emergence Hindu–Muslim “religious” conflicts played along lines nation-thinking Indian subcontinent. This phenomenon begins late 18th century, with orientalist transcriptions vast conglomerate diverse Indic faiths into Brahminical–Sanskritic Hinduism and similar telescoping complex Islamic intellectual traditions what we can call “Mohammedanism” overdetermined by law. As such, both these had to fulfill certain Christological expectations western anthropology order emerge “religions” “world religions”, that is, when, Talal Asad has shown, “religion” was constructed an anthropological category within parameters European secular introspection expansion empire. Both Islam therefore have book, prophetic figure, doctrinal core, singular compendium laws. Upper caste Sanskritic dominated Hinduism, legal supremacist position reckoning at expense philosophy, metaphysics, poesis, varieties artistic self-making. Together, two phenomena also created historical illusion (now industrialized) Brahminism always defined Hindu societies Sharia total fact Islam.