Communities and Courts: Religion and Law in Modern India

The relationship between law and religion in India is complex, with courts playing a significant role in arbitrating conflicts and defining the boundaries of religious identity. This volume argues that the relationship needs to be understood within a wider social and political canvas, and explores how questions of religious pluralism, secularism, law and order are central to understanding the religious and legal imbrication in modern India.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 142 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The intricate interplay between law and religion is a persistent theme in India, with communities and groups seeking legal recognition of their religious identities and practices, while courts become the arena for conflicts and contradictions between different religious groups. The judicial power plays a crucial role in arbitrating these disputes and defining the boundaries of religion. This volume argues that the relationship between law and religion cannot be reduced to a mere competition between sovereignties, as rational law seeks to reform religion and religion defends its traditions against secular encroachments. Instead, it requires a broader social and political understanding. The essays in this book explore how issues of religious pluralism, secularism, law and order, and the relationship between the religious and the legal remain intertwined in modern India. They will be of interest to academics, researchers, and advanced students of Sociology, History, Political Science, and Law.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of South Asian History and Culture.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032195599