(RNS) — An education scholar and mother of two teenagers, Indu Viswanathan is no stranger to the challenges of misrepresentation in the U.S. public school system. She was first exposed to stereotypes and tropes surrounding the Hindu faith — which she and other practitioners say have persisted — as a grade school student in the 1980s.
Now, Viswanathan’s upcoming book, “Hindu at Heart: Education, Faith, and What It Means to Belong in America,” to be published by Briarcliff Press on May 24, challenges an inaccurate historical narrative of Hinduism conceived by Westerners. Refuting claims the religion is a pagan, irrational or un-American tradition, she draws on decades of research and firsthand engagement with families, schools and public institutions.
At a time of increasing animosity toward Indian immigrants, the book aims to open a larger, timely discussion, said Viswanathan, who lives in New York City.
“The Hindu American and Hinduism experience is the site of study, but it’s speaking to larger themes right now in America — vis-à-vis education, purpose of education, immigration and religion,” she said in an interview with RNS on March 27.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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You describe in the book something called “the Hinduism master narrative,” which was first created by people outside of India to describe the religion. What exactly is that narrative?
This is the sort of foundational portion of the book. The term “master narrative” is something that’s used in the U.S., in the West — not that it’s the correct narrative, but it’s the narrative that has sort of dominant power. The master narrative about Hinduism takes up this idea of …