Conclusion
摘要
The seventh and concluding chapter situates Vivekananda’s ideas on culture and inequality within the context of the rise of cultural nationalism in many parts of the world. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of how Vivekananda’s perspective on Hinduism gained political traction in twenty-first-century India. Vivekananda’s apologists argue that Vivekananda’s inclusivity, or the belief that Vedantic Hinduism subsumes and harmonizes diverse religious paths, distinguishes him from the Hindu nationalists who incite divisiveness and violence against non-Hindus. The final chapter contends that, for those who are subsumed or included, for example, the Muslims, inclusivism may be just as oppressive as exclusivism. Furthermore, inclusivism can be utilized to issue veiled threats against religious minorities. Speaking before the Lok Sabha in 2024, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India and the most prominent member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, stated that at the Chicago World Parliament of Religions, Vivekananda told the world that he was proud to be a Hindu because Hinduism taught tolerance and universal acceptance to the world. Modi added that democracy and diversity thrived in India because the Hindus were tolerant. Modi’s words implied that had the Hindus not been tolerant, they would have dismantled democratic institutions and disregarded minority rights. Modi spoke of tolerance but implied intolerance.