요가의 대전환_인도 현대요가의 신자유주의적 전환

Abstract

Since the 15th century, some traditional Indian yoga practitioners, known as warrior-ascetics, have used yoga as a method of military training to resist foreign powers. Referred to as "Yogi" by the British, these people once held significant power controlling the trade routes of northern India. However, after the late 18th century, due to oppressive British policies, they were reduced to making a living by performing yogic feats or as wanderers. As a result, the British and the Indian intellectual class came to perceive the Yogis as vagrants or as impure beings outside the caste system. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some Indian nationalists who advocated for armed struggle against the British became interested in their yoga as a method of military training for armed resistance. During this period, Indian yoga evolved into modern yoga in two directions: international orientation and domestic orientation within India, particularly the latter interested in yoga as a military training method. However, both of them shared strong nationalist tendencies. The nationalism and two directions of the early reformers of modern yoga in India have been continued in the yoga policies of the Modi government. However, the nationalism of the Modi government is merely superficial; the true essence of Modi’s yoga policy lies in a neoliberal view of humanity. F. Godrej argued that the two important discourses of modern yoga are the discourse of self-responsibilization and the biopolitical discourse, based on a neoliberal view of humanity. C. P. Miller, following the stance of Godrej, analyzed yoga policies in India since the Modi government. He argues that the Modi government, in connection with the discourse of self-responsibility, presents yoga as a solution to climate issues and strengthens soft power, in contrast to the hard power of the United States and China. On the one hand, from a domestic orientation, He argues that the lack of healthcare infrastructure in India is being compensated for by encouraging citizens to practice yoga, and yoga is utilized as a bio-politcal biopower to maximize the labor force of the population. The yoga policies of the Modi government, such as the establishment of International Yoga Day, the creation of the Ministry of AYUSH, which controls the practical application of yoga and traditional Indian medicine, and Modi's image-making as a Yoga guru, may seem positive at first glance. However, considering the neoliberalism within the yoga policy, the grand transition of India from a secular state to a Hindu religious state is merely a political utilization of Hindu nationalism as a symbol. One cannot help but suspect that the underlying intention is to strengthen the vested interests of capitalists and certain political factions based on neoliberal principles. The Modi government is hanging up a lamb's head of Hindu nationalism while actually selling the dog meat of neoliberalism.