Author Tackles Indian Stereotypes

By: Christopher Duray

Posted: 4/6/07

When the average American thinks of an Indian, they may imagine Ben Kingsley in the film "Ghandi" or Hank Azaria's character Apu on "The Simpsons." Others still will imagine an overwhelmingly Hindu state constantly at odds with its Muslim opponents.

Peter Gottschalk, an associate professor of religion at Wesleyan College and author of two books on Muslim and Hindu culture, strove to correct those stereotypes during a presentation yesterday in the Class of 1947 Room at the Homer Babbidge Library.

In a speech titled "The Problem of Religion in India," Gottschalk said that the biggest problem with religion in India is how others perceive it. Gottschalk, who has spent three non-consecutive years in India, said he believes many Americans have a perception that India is a country where religion overshadows all aspects of life, and that the Hindu and Muslim sects of the country are constantly fighting.

"Very often when we look at South Asia, Americans tend to see the area as a giant category of Indians broken down into Hindu or Muslim, and then those are broken down into castes," Gottschalk said. "What we're trying to do to address the religion problem is to recognize that there isn't just a single plane of identity to which these people belong."

In an effort to portray Indians as more than just a religious people, Gottschalk and his colleague, associate professor Matthew Schmalz, created a high-tech Web site focusing on Indian culture in the village of Arampur. The Web site highlights the larger set of dynamics involved in the lives of Indian people and contextualizes the Indian religions.

This Web site, dubbed the "Virtual Village," is located at virtualvillage.wesleyan.edu, and served as an aid through Gottschalk's presentation. Through the site, Gottschalk outlined the diversity of the population in Indian villages and explained how each village's different cultures complement each other. He also outlined each village's technological development, emerging globalization and cultural exchange.

Issues of society, agriculture, economics and religion were addressed. These all helped emphasize the peaceful co-existence of several religions in the region, their various heritages, forms of worship, shared characteristics and tolerated differences.

The jewel of Gottschalk's Web site was the "roam" feature, which was meant to simulate Indian life and culture by offering a virtual tour of Arampur that visitors can explore. The map features 360 degree panoramic views and pictures, and users can examine areas of note in detail or read conversations and profiles of the town's inhabitants.

Gottschalk said that in order to be better informed about Indian culture, the western world needs more thorough global education.

"We need to do a better job of teaching religion," Gottschalk said. "Most people don't teach religion in public schools because they have the concern that teaching about religion is the same thing as teaching religion, which is against the constitution.

We need to do a better job bringing religion into schools in ways in which we can talk about religious culture without promoting theology," he said.

Turnout was good among both students and faculty. Neal Stearns, an 8th-semester economics major, said he thinks many people are uninformed about India.

"It's something that you don't get to hear everyday in the classes at UConn," he said. "It's a new perspective."

Elizabeth Hanson, professor of political science and director of the India studies program organized professor Gottschalk's talk, one of several in a series created by the India studies program to increase awareness and knowledge of India in the UConn community. She said interest in India was growing on campus.

"In the past, it has been in the background of Americans' minds," Hanson said. "India's phenomenal economic growth is starting to attract attention now, and once people get interested in the economy, they start to get interested in other things."