The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism

This volume presents the most recent scholarly thinking aboutHinduism in an accessible way. It provides a forum for the bestscholars in the world to make their views and research available toa wider audience.

While comprehensively covering the textual traditions ofHinduism, the volume also includes material on Hindu folk religionsand stresses the importance of region in analyzing Hinduism. Indoing so, it reflects the current move away from essentialistunderstandings of Hinduism and towards traditionally and regionallyspecific studies.

The Companion as a whole spans the entire field of Hindustudies and is divided into four coherent sections: theoreticalissues, textual traditions, theologies, and Hindu society andpolitics.

List of Contributors.

Preface.

Introduction: Establishing the Boundaries: Gavin Flood.

Part I: Theoretical Issues:.

1. Colonialism and the Construction of Hinduism: GauriVisvanathan.

2. Orientalism and Hinduism: David Smith.

Part II: Text and Tradition:.

The Sanskrit Textual Traditions:.

3. Vedas and Upanisads: Michael Witzel.

4. The Dharmaúâstras: Ludo Rocher.

5. The Sanskrit Epics: John Brockington.

6. The Purânas: Freda Matchett.

Textual Traditions in Regional Languages:.

7. Tamil Hindu Literature: Norman Cutler.

8. The Literature of Hinduism in Malayalam: Rich Freeman.

9. North Indian Hindi Devotional Literature: Nancy M.Martin.

Major Historical Developments:.

10. The Úaiva Traditions: Gavin Flood.

11. History of Vaisnava Traditions: Gérard Colas.

12. The Renouncer Tradition: Patrick Olivelle.

13. The Householder Tradition in Hindu Society: T.N. Madan.

Regional Traditions:.

14. The Teyyam Tradition of Kerala: Rich Freeman.

15. The Month of Kârtik And Women′s Ritual Devotions toKrsna in Benares: Tracy Pinchman.

Part III: Systematic Thought:.

The Indian Sciences:.

Introduction: Frits Staal.

16. The Science of Language: Frits Staal.

17. Indian Mathematics: Takao Hayashi.

18. Calendar, Astrology and Astronomy: Michio Yano.

19. The Science of Medicine: Dominik Wujastyk.

Philosophy and Theology:.

20. Hinduism and the Proper Work of Reason: Jonardon Ganeri.

21. Restoring "Hindu Theology" as a Category in IndianIntellectual Discourse: Francis Clooney.

22. Mantra: André Padoux.

Part IV: Society, Politics, and Nation:.

23. On the Relationship between Caste and Hinduism: DeclanQuigley.

24. Modernity, Reform and Revival: Dermot Killingley.

25. Contemporary Political Hinduism: C. Ram Prasad.

26. The Goddess and the Nation: Subterfuges of Antiquity, theCunning of Modernity: Sumathi Ramaswamy.

27. Gender in a Devotional Universe: Vasudha Narayanan.

Index.

Gavin Flood is Head of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Stirling. Among his publications are Beyond Phenomenology: Rethinking the Study of Religion (1999), An Introduction to Hinduism (1996), and Body and Cosmology in Kashmir aivism (1993).

"This collection offers a new way to parse the multiple entrywaysinto the vast arena of Hinduism. Using the general divisionalcategories of theoretical issues, text and tradition, systematicthought, and society, politics and nation, Flood has achievedsignificant breadth in disciplines, subjects and historicalperspectives." Choice

"This is a most welcome, timely, and authoritative assessment ofthe entire field of study, a most commendable response to anenormous challenge." Journal of ContemporaryReligion

It effectively serves to condense the proliferation ofscholarship on Hinduism... The approach is interdisciplinary andplaces Hinduism not within a sphere of its own, but within a largercontext, reading it as a dynamic product of historical globalexchange. The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism also has animportant section devoted to the Indian Sciences (language,mathematics, astrology, astronomy and medicine) which collectivelydestabilize colonialism s claim that Hinduism was arbitraryand irrational. A handsome addition to academic andpersonal libraries. Asian Studies Review