The Spirit of Hindu Law
£39.99
- Author: Donald R. Davis, Jr, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Date Published: August 2013
- availability: Available
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781107627574
£
39.99
Paperback
Other available formats:
Hardback, eBook
Looking for an inspection copy?
This title is not currently available on inspection
-
Law is too often perceived solely as state-based rules and institutions that provide a rational alternative to religious rites and ancestral customs. The Spirit of Hindu Law uses the Hindu legal tradition as a heuristic tool to question this view and reveal the close linkage between law and religion. Emphasizing the household, the family, and everyday relationships as additional social locations of law, it contends that law itself can be understood as a theology of ordinary life. An introduction to traditional Hindu law and jurisprudence, this book is structured around key legal concepts such as the sources of law and authority, the laws of persons and things, procedure, punishment and legal practice. It combines investigation of key themes from Sanskrit legal texts with discussion of Hindu theology and ethics, as well as thorough examination of broader comparative issues in law and religion.
Read more- Includes regular comparative examples and analogies from other religious and legal systems that allow readers to relate Hindu concepts to more familiar ideas
- Refers extensively to secondary literature in the technical field of Indology, as well as broader fields such as religious and legal studies
- Will appeal equally to scholars in the fields of Indology, religious studies and legal studies
Reviews & endorsements
Review of the hardback: 'It has been said that Hindu law is only the imagination of Hindu lawyers with no Sanskrit, but the Sanskritists are now coming to the rescue. In The Spirit of Hindu Law Donald R. Davis, Jr. provides not only an authoritative reading of ancient texts, but a challenging view of law itself. The presentation is conceptual and not historical, comparative and not contextual, and the author rightly insists that we can learn from and not simply about one of the oldest legal traditions of the world. It is a splendid book.' H. Patrick Glenn, McGill University
See more reviewsReview of the hardback: 'Donald Davis has made the study of traditional Indian law accessible and interesting to both the layman and the scholar who has otherwise considered the subject dull, forbidding, or out of the mainstream of Indian culture and religion. He contextualizes his material more astutely than has ever been the case in a major study of Hindu law, and easily addresses a number of topics relevant to many other fields of inquiry, including history, anthropology, sociology, and religious studies. This is a book with which every serious student of India should become familiar.' Frederick M. Smith, University of Iowa
Review of the hardback: 'The Spirit of Hindu Law is a learned yet accessible and lucidly written overview of Hindu modes of legal thinking through detailed examination of Dharmasastra texts and commentaries. Focusing on Hindu law in its close connection to theology and ordinary life, Davis opens up a complex world of legal concepts and practices to the specialist and non-specialist alike. Illuminating comparisons are drawn throughout to our own Euro-American legal tradition, including a fascinating analogy between the Mimamsa hermeneutic project and the modern-day filing of federal income tax forms! This volume will appeal to anyone interested in Indian intellectual history, the study of South Asian religions, and comparative ethics and law. Anne E. Monius, Harvard Divinity School
Customer reviews
Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review
Review was not posted due to profanity
×Product details
- Date Published: August 2013
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781107627574
- length: 208 pages
- dimensions: 229 x 152 x 12 mm
- weight: 0.31kg
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
List of tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction (dharmaśāstra)
1. Sources and theologies (pramāna)
2. Hermeneutics and ethics (mīmāmsā)
3. Debt and meaning (rna)
4. Persons and things (svatva)
5. Doubts and disputes (vyavahāra)
6. Rectitude and rehabilitation (danda)
7. Law and practice (ācāra)
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.
Related Books
related journals
also by this author
Sorry, this resource is locked
Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email lecturers@cambridge.org
Register Sign in» Proceed
You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.
Continue ×Are you sure you want to delete your account?
This cannot be undone.
Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.
If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.
×