Introduction*

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the following thesis: that the influence of Indian studies, ideas, and culture on German Romantic nationalism was more profound than any other cultural influence. European history has been propelled by nationalism, particularly German nationalism. The Romantic thinkers were the champions of a national revival, and, at the same time, the pioneers of Indian studies in the Germanies. The projection of Indian imagery onto European realities would later acquire the form of the Aryan Myth and become a key theme of German nationalist thought, including National Socialism. Incorporated in German nationalist discourse through the effort of the Romantic scholars, this Indian understanding of identity and otherness reinforced the traditional German narrative by the authority of an ancient but living foreign civilization, additionally flavored by its imagery.