Aryan Idols

Indo-European Mythology as Ideology and Science

Translated by Sonia Wichmann

Cloth $60.00 ISBN: 9780226028606 Published September 2006

Critically examining the discourse of Indo-European scholarship over the past two hundred years, Aryan Idols demonstrates how the interconnected concepts of “Indo-European” and “Aryan” as ethnic categories have been shaped by, and used for, various ideologies.
Stefan Arvidsson traces the evolution of the Aryan idea through the nineteenth century—from its roots in Bible-based classifications and William Jones’s discovery of commonalities among Sanskrit, Latin, and Greek to its use by scholars in fields such as archaeology, anthropology, folklore, comparative religion, and history. Along the way, Arvidsson maps out the changing ways in which Aryans were imagined and relates such shifts to social, historical, and political processes. Considering the developments of the twentieth century, Arvidsson focuses on the adoption of Indo-European scholarship (or pseudoscholarship) by the Nazis and by Fascist Catholics.

A wide-ranging discussion of the intellectual history of the past two centuries, Aryan Idols links the pervasive idea of the Indo-European people to major scientific, philosophical, and political developments of the times, while raising important questions about the nature of scholarship as well.

Review Quotes
Contents

“Examining the ideological foundations of one’s own academic discipline requires courage, dedication, persistence, and the ability to distance oneself from one’s own ideological passions. In his analysis of the origin and development of theories about Indo-European mythology, Stefan Arvidsson walks this tightrope masterfully....Because of its general relevance for the history of the middle-class and for the understanding of the genesis and success of recent religious and social movements as well as for current academic and cultural debates, this book deserves an audience that far exceeds the one of academic specialists.”—Stefanie von Schnurbein, Svenska Dagbladet, on the Swedish edition

“Aryan Idols traces the politics of scholarship on Indo-European (or Aryan, in the discourse that predominated until 1945) religion, especially as it interacted with nationalism and racial theories, culminating in the Nazi period. Arvidsson’s research is truly painstaking. He assembles an enormous amount of evidence and produces a powerful, clear, and frequently gripping account of the agendas and subtexts present within the scholarship. I found this book utterly fascinating.”—Bruce Lincoln, author of Theorizing Myth

“The ‘Indo-European’ concept was born in the eighteenth century out of the desire to classify languages, peoples, and religions into natural categories, while any notion of history was forgotten. In his book, Stefan Arvidsson shows how in two centuries influential scholars have gone from comparative grammar and linguistic classification to the racial hierarchization of populations. Emphasizing how all scholarly disciplines can be vulnerable to ideologies, both political and religious, Arvidsson reveals the intellectual mechanisms that led to the creation of these ‘Idols,’ puppets that are reflected in an Aryan mirror. An important book on a subject relevant today, Aryan Idols reminds us that even with the best intentions in the world the sciences are not beyond the reach of political fables.”—Maurice Olender, author of The Languages of Paradise: Aryans and Semites, A Match Made in Heaven

“Proposing that the idea of an ancient, unified lineage is ‘good to think with,’Aryan Idols examines the practical effects of discourses on origins. Mapping scholars’ choices onto their social worlds, Arvidsson covers two centuries worth of work on the Indo-Europeans to convincingly demonstrate that the utility of this pervasive ideology lies in its ability to authorize a dizzying variety of ever-changing present circumstances and interests—from those of nineteenth-century colonialists to modern day tourism boards. Because he astutely uses this one scholarly tradition, documented in rich detail, as a case study in the wider politics of classification, anyone attuned to the relations between power and knowledge will be indebted to Arvidsson for his labors.”—Russell T. McCutcheon, author of Religion and the Domestication of Dissent

"Aryan fantasies have indicated the inherent dangers most clearly, and here lies one of the enduring merits of Arvidsson's book: it indicates how we can actually learn from history."

"The book should serve as a warning about the uses and misuses (inadvertently or deliberately) of scholarship. Aryan Idols is accessible, well written, and should be a welcome addition to courses on the history and historiography of religion."

"A valuable introduction to the subject for anybody interested in Indo-European studies."

"This brief review cannot do justice to the many issues that Arvidsson raises--not only about our understanding of what the Indo-European discourse is, but also about why it exists and in what terms and contexts. . . . [The] work exposes prevailing assumptions, documents and summarizes the discourse, and opens provocative new perspectives on the troublesome but perpetually fascinating concept of the Indo-European."

Contents

Preface
Introduction
1. From Noah’s Sons to the Aryan Race: The Foundation Is Laid
2. A Place in the Sun: The Paradigm of Nature Mythology
3. Primitive Aryans: Research near the Beginning of the Twentieth Century
4. Order and Barbarianism: Aryan Religion in the Third Reich
5. Horsemen from the East: Alternatives to Nazi Research
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu

Anthropology: Cultural and Social Anthropology

Folklore and Mythology

History: European History

Religion: Comparative Studies and History of Religion

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