Overview

This book explores Swami Vivekananda’s ideational visions, highlighting their multifaceted nature. On one level, it demonstrates how his ideas were a confluence of intellectual traditions that evolved both in India and abroad, including influences from Western liberalism. On another level, the book examines his indebtedness to colleagues, particularly those with differing ideational perspectives, who were connected to Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, his spiritual mentor. Despite being initiated into spiritualism by Ramakrishna, Vivekananda reshaped his spiritualism along humanist lines rather than strictly religious ones. The book underscores the distinctiveness of Vivekananda’s perceptions, especially in contrast to many of Ramakrishna’s followers who adopted conservative Hindu ideologies and dismissed other socio-cultural traditions. It argues that a deep analysis of Vivekananda’s ideational vision reaffirms the notion that history, as a process, unfolds differently, exerting varied impacts on individuals’ politico-ideological priorities. This volume will be of significant interest to scholars and researchers in South Asian studies, politics, and modern Indian history.

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9781041223078

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Reviews

‘The term ‘ideational vision’, as stated in the book’s title, is entirely original. In the ample literature on Vivekananda, this phrase does not appear, even though it strikes at the core of his contribution to modern Indian political thought. This decided strength must be emphasized because of its creative nature and also its definitive relationship to other Indian thinkers. It would be unthinkable, for example, to see it appear in any work about Gandhi. My conclusion, therefore, is that the signal significance of this book lies in how it targets this particular concept with exceptionally admirable force and clarity.’ —Dennis Dalton, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Barnard College, Columbia University, USA ‘This innovative account weaved in a meticulously argued framework provides a fresh perspective to unravel the Humanistic genre of Vivekananda's writings. It will not only help to critically examine the evolution of political ideas and visions in transitional societies but also open a new vista of knowledge which, so far, remained buried under the debris of conventional approaches of Modern Indian Political Thought.’ —Ronki Ram, Professor Emeritus, Institute for Development & Communication, Chandigarh, India

Author Information

Bidyut Chakrabarty was the former Vice Chancellor of Visva Bharati, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India. Before he was appointed the Vice Chancellor of Visva Bharati in 2018, he served the Department of Political Science, University of Delhi, India, for more than three decades. He has published in many areas of Political Science.

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