SOCIOLOGY
THE SOCIAL REALMS OF RELIGION: NEW RESEARCHES ON RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN INDIAN HISTORY
In the academic study of Indian religions, a common approach has been to perceive them as abstruse philosophies devoid of social linkages. This may not be a valid approach as many Indian religions, amidst a complex myriad of functions, also functioned as essential elements of the organization of the socio-economic order of the society in which they functioned and established complex linkages with social institutions and processes. That also entailed the evolution of complex patterns of interactions between different religions. This book explores some aspects of these complexities. Research articles in the present book explore three themes: the patterns of interactions between different ancient and early medieval Indian religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Ajivika-dharma) and their relationships with socio-economic institutions and processes from circa sixth century bce to early thirteenth century ce; perceptions of Islam and Muslims in the Indic sources and the process of religious identity formation in medieval north India; and, finally, the Natha Sampradaya in its interactions with social institutions and processes in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra from the colonial to the contemporary periods. About the Author Birendra Nath Prasad is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, where he teaches the maritime history and economic history of ancient and early medieval India; the social history of religion in ancient and early medieval India; and the history of Southeast Asia to circa 1500 ce. His recent publications include Archaeology of Religion in South Asia: Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jaina Religious Centres in Bihar and Bengal, c. ad 600-1200; Rethinking Bihar and Bengal: History, Culture and Religion; and Religion in Society: Social Dimensions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism in India. He has also edited Maritime SouthÂeast Asia: History, Culture and Religion, c. First Century ce–Fifteenth Century ce; and History, Economy and Religion: Mainland Southeast Asia, c. First Century ce–Fourteenth Century ce.
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