[INDOLOGY] Call for papers

[Sufi Santa]

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to share our call for submissions to the panel "State Law,
Religious Identity, and Cultural Transformation: Hinduisation and
Sanskritisation in the Himalayas" at this year’s European Conference on
South Asian Studies (ECSAS).

The conference will take place in Heidelberg in October 2025, and the
deadline for submissions is January 30th. For the details regarding the
panel, paper submission and registration, please follow this link:

https://ecsas2025.com/panel/70-state-law-religious-identity-and-cultural-transformation-hinduisation-and-sanskritisation-in-the-himalayas/
.

Please feel free to circulate this with your colleagues and students who
are engaged in research related to these topics.

Best regards,
Rajan Khatiwoda, also on behalf of Manik Bajracharya and Nirajan Kafle

-----------------------------

This panel examines the processes of Hinduisation and Sanskritisation in
the Himalayan region, with a focus on Nepal’s distinct legal and cultural
history in contrast to (British) India. It explores the intricate
relationship between Brahmanical norms and local customs (deśācāra),
particularly through the integration of Hindu legal scriptures
(dharmaśāstra). The Himalayan region presents a unique context, where the
application of these laws has sparked ongoing scholarly debate about the
balance between Dharmaśāstra and indigenous practices. A key focus is the
Mulukī Ain (MA) of 1854 CE, Nepal’s first codified legal code introduced by
Prime Minister Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā. This legal reform sought to enforce
Brahmanical norms across Nepal’s diverse communities, including Buddhist
and non-Brahmanical groups. It was not only a legal initiative but also a
political strategy to solidify Nepal’s identity as a Hindu kingdom and
resist external threats, especially from colonial forces. The process of
Sanskritisation and Hinduisation served to bring together Nepal’s various
cultural groups under a common legal framework while preserving its Hindu
ethos. The panel will explore the interaction between state-imposed laws
and local traditions, analyzing how these frameworks shaped religious
practices, social norms, and community identities in Nepal and the broader
Himalayan region, including Tibet. Comparative studies of Nepal, India, and
Tibet’s legal histories are encouraged, offering insights into how states
with different colonial experiences addressed similar challenges. Scholars
are invited to use archival and anthropological methods to investigate
these transformations, shedding light on the dynamic relationship between
state law and local customs in shaping the legal and cultural landscapes of
the Himalayas.
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