{"title":"Manu S Pillai","description":"\u003cp\u003eManu S Pillai offers a captivating exploration of history through vivid storytelling and keen insight. His works, such as \u003cem\u003eGods, Guns and Missionaries\u003c\/em\u003e, immerse readers in the intricate narratives of India's past, blending scholarly research with engaging prose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect richly detailed accounts that bring to life historical events and military encounters, shedding light on the complexities and nuances of power, culture, and colonial influence. These books appeal to those fascinated by the dynamics of history and its enduring impact.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"gods-guns-and-missionaries-by-manu-s-pillai-9780241456941","title":"Gods, Guns and Missionaries","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn ambitious and engaging history of how encounters with Christianity have shaped Hindu identity and nationalism in colonial and contemporary India.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen European missionaries arrived in India in the sixteenth century, they entered a world both fascinating and bewildering. Hinduism, as they saw it, was a pagan mess—a worship of devils and monsters by a people who burned women alive, performed outlandish rites, and fed children to crocodiles. But it quickly became clear that Hindu 'idolatry' was far more layered and complex than European stereotypes allowed, surprisingly even sharing certain impulses with Christianity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNonetheless, missionaries became a threatening force as European power grew in India. Western ways of thinking gained further ascendancy during the British Raj—while interest in Hindu thought influenced Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire in Europe, Orientalism and colonial rule pressed Hindus to reimagine their religion. In fact, in resisting foreign authority, they often adopted the missionaries' own tools and strategies. It is this encounter, Manu S. Pillai argues, that has given Hinduism its present shape, also contributing to the birth of an aggressive Hindu nationalism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGods, Guns and Missionaries\u003c\/em\u003e surveys these remarkable dynamics with an arresting cast of characters—maharajahs, poets, gun-wielding revolutionaries, politicians, polemicists, philosophers, and clergymen. Lucid, ambitious, and provocative, it is at once a political history, an examination of the mutual impact of Hindu culture and Christianity upon each other, and a study of the forces that have prepared the ground for politics in India today. Turning away from simplistic ideas on religious evolution and European imperialism, the past as it appears here is more complicated—and infinitely richer—than previous narratives allow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46343583465708,"sku":"9780241456941","price":86.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780241456941.jpg?v=1744000261"},{"product_id":"gods-guns-and-missionaries-by-manu-s-pillai-9780141993492","title":"Gods, Guns and Missionaries","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn ambitious and engaging history of the development of Hindu identity and nationalism in colonial and contemporary India.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen European missionaries arrived in India in the sixteenth century, they entered a world both fascinating and bewildering. Hinduism, as they saw it, was a pagan mess. But it quickly became clear that this 'idolatry' was far more layered and complex than European stereotypes allowed, surprisingly even sharing certain impulses with Christianity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNonetheless, missionaries became a threatening force as European power grew in India. Western ways of thinking gained further ascendancy during the British Raj: while interest in Hindu thought influenced Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire in Europe, Orientalism and colonial rule pressed Hindus to reimagine their religion. In fact, in resisting foreign authority, they often adopted the missionaries' own tools and strategies. It is this encounter, Manu S. Pillai argues, that has given Hinduism its present shape, also contributing to the birth of an aggressive Hindu nationalism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGods, Guns and Missionaries\u003c\/em\u003e surveys these remarkable dynamics with an arresting cast of characters. Lucid, ambitious, and provocative, it is at once a political history, an examination of the mutual impact of Hindu culture and Christianity upon each other, and a study of the forces that have prepared the ground for politics in India today. Turning away from simplistic ideas on religious evolution and European imperialism, the past as it appears here is more complicated—and infinitely richer—than previous narratives allow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233123315948,"sku":"9780141993492","price":45.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780141993492-gods-guns-and-missionaries-1.jpg?v=1787726449"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/manu-s-pillai.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}