Hinduism through Catholic eyes
With India's growing economic and other importance to Europe, Europeans would benefit from a better understanding of Indian issues. Hinduism is central both to Indian ways and historical European colonial interaction with India. The EU-funded project 'Early modern Catholic representations of Hinduism' (HINDREP) aimed to show how Hinduism was interpreted by Europeans during the early modern period. Administered under the Marie Curie programme 'Promoting Science', the project also had the goal of developing researcher skills. The undertaking ran throughout all of 2011 and 2012. During the first year, relevant historical materials were reviewed and a preliminary analysis was carried out. The work involved research visits, conference attendance and contributions to an expert panel. Other project activities included training in Sanskrit and Tamil languages, and the use of databases. In the second year, the material was systematically analysed, including everything about Catholic interpretations on Hinduism, identifying hitherto unknown developments and linkages. A conference was organised on the topic, and numerous papers were published. Further work included preparation for the publication of additional articles and monographs, as well as tutoring of young scholars. HINDREP succeeded in boosting interaction among scholars, especially in terms of research and research management skills. The field thus also benefited from the informal network established, meaning a clearer understanding of the historical interactions between Europe and India.
