ABSTRACT
Louis Dumont (1911–1998) and Georges Dumézil (1898–1986), both of them major figures from the same intellectual milieu, were both deeply interested in comparing the ideologies of India and Europe, and have contributed to the development of the ideas presented in this book; however, their styles of comparison differ profoundly. Having briefly explored the differences, this chapter asks how the two approaches can be combined. In analyzing the configuration of Hindu values, Dumont follows Année sociologique tradition and the binary structuralism so prevalent after World War II; he particularly emphasizes the opposition of purity (ideally represented by the Brahmins) and the pollution associated with the Untouchables. Dumézil’s trifunctional schema lacks a position that could cover the latter, and needs extension at the bottom of its hierarchy – whence F4−. But Dumont’s treatment of the king–priest relationship, of totality, and of transcendence indicate the need to reformulate the top of Dumézil’s hierarchy, separating F4+ (which can accommodate sovereignty) from F1 (administration of the sacred). A pentadic theory of Indo-European ideology offers a starting point for thinking not only about traditional India but also about the history of ideas in Europe.
