Dear colleagues,

I am happy to share the joy of the publication of my edited book titled 'The Social Realms of Religion: New Researches on Religion and Society in Indian History'. This book has been published by Manohar Publishers and Distributors, Delhi.

About the book:

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 organisation 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: patterns of interactions between different ancient and early medieval Indian religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Ājīvika -dharma) and their relationships with socio-economic institutions and processes from c. 6th century BCE to early 13th century CE; perceptions of Islam and Muslims in Indic sources and the process of religious identity formation in medieval north India; and, finally, the Nātha sampradāya in its interactions with social institutions and processes in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra from the colonial to the contemporary periods.

About the editor:

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 Southeast 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 .

Cover illustration: a view of the Rāma Tālaba Gorakhanātha Mandir, Katwaria Sarai, Delhi.

 

You may order your copy through Amazon. You may also get it directly from the publisher:  https://www.manoharbooks.com/BookDetails/216493/The-Social-Realms-of-Religion-New-Researches-on-Religion-and-Society-in-Indian-History?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExQ2ZOemU5VHRrTnpCakVldAEe_o5NZJ1fawVRCH0PiZt54i0mhwzXOvP2ikQHKRpyx1PFlAihCtWeYixgOVY_aem_NU-nxCwnxCM31Dhcc83MFA

 

With regards,

Dr Birendra Nath Prasad

Centre for Historical Studies

JNU, New Delhi