Hinduism and Law
An Introduction

From early Sanskrit rulebooks to the modern codification of 'Hindu law', the authors examine interactions between Hinduism and law.

Timothy Lubin (Edited by), Donald R. Davis Jr (Edited by), Jayanth K. Krishnan (Edited by)

9780521887861, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 October 2010

320 pages, 1 map
23.5 x 15.9 x 2 cm, 0.62 kg

'[This] book has established connections between bodies of knowledge that were hitherto unconnected and, thereby, initiated a discourse in which all scholars of the polity and the law should be engaged.' Amita Dhanda, The Hindu

Covering the earliest Sanskrit rulebooks through to the codification of 'Hindu law' in modern times, this interdisciplinary volume examines the interactions between Hinduism and the law. The authors present the major transformations to India's legal system in both the colonial and post colonial periods and their relation to recent changes in Hinduism. Thematic studies show how law and Hinduism relate and interact in areas such as ritual, logic, politics, and literature, offering a broad coverage of South Asia's contributions to religion and law at the intersection of society, politics and culture. In doing so, the authors build on previous treatments of Hindu law as a purely text-based tradition, and in the process, provide a fascinating account of an often neglected social and political history.

Foreword
List of contributors
Chronology
Map
Introduction Timothy Lubin, Donald R. Davis, Jr and Jayanth Krishnan
Part I. Hindu Law: 1. An historical overview of Hindu law Donald R. Davis, Jr
2. Dharma??stra: a textual history Patrick Olivelle
3. Hindu legal practice in premodern India Axel Michaels
4. The creation of Anglo-Hindu law Rosane Rocher
5. Marriage and family in colonial Hindu law Rachel Sturman
6. Hindu law as personal law Rina Verma Williams
Part II. Law in Ancient and Medieval Hindu Traditions: 7. Hindu jurisprudence and scriptural hermeneutics Lawrence McCrea
8. Indic conceptions of authority Timothy Lubin
9. ??dra Dharma and legal treatments of caste Ananya Vajpeyi
10. Law, literature, and the problem of politics in medieval India Whitney Cox
11. Hindu law as performance: ritual and poetic elements in Dharma??stra Robert Yelle
Part III. Law and Modern Hinduism: 12. Temples, deities, and the law Richard Davis
13. In the divine court of appeals: vows before the God of justice Aditya Malik
14. Contemporary caste discrimination and affirmative action Laura Dudley Jenkins
15. Law and Hindu nationalist movements Smita Narula
16. Legally and politically layered identities: a thumbnail survey of selected Hindu migration patterns from South Asia Jayanth Krishnan
Appendices
Glossary
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Law & society [LAQ], Law [L], Black & Asian studies [JFSL3], Aspects of religion [non-Christian HRL], Hinduism [HRG], Religion: general [HRA]