La civilization la plus antique : Voltaire's Images of India

This article examines the writings of the Enlightenment philosophe Voltaire on India as he situated that land within a global context of history and cultural exchange. It examines the creation of a recognizable entity, "India," in the Western imaginary by studying selected texts and focusing on a romanticized ideal of India as an Oriental paradise. It also examines the reasons behind such creation of India, primarily the Enlightenment attack on the Roman Catholic Church and more specifically Voltaire's claim that many of the most important Christian rituals had their origin in Hindu rituals.