Understanding of the East in Social Thought of the Bengal Renaissance

The understanding of the East as special part of 'third-world discourse' (Eugene B. Rashkovsky) is a phenomenon of social thought in Non-Western modernizing countries. Based on the Bengal Renaissance sources, the author describes the process of understanding of the East by Indian thinkers in last nineteenth early twentieth century. The phenomenon includes searching for identity, intercivilizational dialogue and self-knowledge in understanding of Asian countries. Bengal understanding of the East presented as contains of two aspects: real or imaginary 'Journey to the East' (Herman Hesse) and a complex of the themes on the East. In the former the otherness of China, Japan and other Asian countries was discovered and considered, as well as the modern experience in interactions with the West. From the understanding of individual countries to searching for some communion in ones, Bengal thinkers tried to mark the East's problems and perspectives in Modernity. By the understanding of the East, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and others have intellectually finished the exit from traditional Indian closeness and introversion. Thinking on modern condition and perspectives of Eastern societies, Bengal thinkers had come to the idea of productive combination of the East's spirit and culture heritage with the West's spiritual, scientific, technical, institutional and cultural achievements in modernization and development. Their idea of 'Eastern renaissance' is the project of integration of Asian countries in the Modem world of modem economy, sociality, politics and culture without forgetting of their own inner spirit and identity.