Religious Traditions in Modern South Asia

This book offers a contemporary approach to the study of religion in modern South Asia. It explores the development of religious ideas and practices in the region, giving students a clear and critical understanding of social, political and historical context.

Part One takes a fresh look at some familiar themes in the study of religion, such as deity, authoritative texts, myth, worship, teacher traditions and caste, and helps students understand diverse ways of approaching these themes.
Part Two focuses on some of the key ways in which Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism in South Asia have been shaped in the modern period. Overall the book considers the impact of gender, politics, and the way religion itself is variously understood.
The chapters contain a compelling range of primary source materials and a series of geographical and historical ‘snapshots’ to orientate readers to South Asia. Valuable features for students include images, task boxes, discussion points, suggestions for further reading, a timeline and glossary of terms.

Jacqueline Suthren Hirst is Senior Lecturer in South Asian Studies at the University of Manchester, UK. Her publications include Sita’s Story and Samkara’s Advaita Vedanta: A Way of Teaching.

John Zavos is Senior Lecturer in South Asian Studies at the University of Manchester, UK. He is the author of The Emergence of Hindu Nationalism in India.

Preface 1. Introducing South Asia, Re-Introducing ‘Religion’ 2. Deity 3. Texts and Their Authority 4. Myth 5. Ritual and Worship 6. Teachers and Their Traditions 7a. Caste: Social Relations, Cultural Formations 7b. The Confluence of Caste and Religion 8. Encounters with the West 9. The Construction of Religious Boundaries 10. Public and Private Space 11. Conflicting Paradigms 12. Twisting the Kaleidoscope: Reflections in Conclusion. Timeline. Glossary. Bibliography.