A Cultural History of Hinduism

Volumes 1-6

Author: Karen Pechilis Series: The Cultural Histories Series

A comprehensive 6-volume reference work which thematically covers the cultural history of Hinduism from the pre-Classical Age to the present day.

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Summary

A comprehensive 6-volume reference work which thematically covers the cultural history of Hinduism from the pre-Classical Age to the present day.

Description

How has Hinduism been shaped over time? What are continuities and changes in its cultural history of textual, social, ritual, visual, political, philosophical, and theological perspectives and practices?

Spanning over 4,000 years, A Cultural History of Hinduism provides an authoritative survey of one of the world’s oldest religious traditions in its social and cultural contexts, from ancient times to the present. With 55 experts from academic disciplines such as history, religion studies, art history, anthropology and philosophy, the work represents inclusive narratives and aims to generate new cultural history questions.

Chapter titles are identical across each of the volumes. This gives the choice of reading about a specific period in one of the volumes, or following a theme across history by reading the relevant chapter in each of the six.

The six volumes cover: 1 – Antiquity (2000 – 200 BCE); 2 – Classical Age (200 BCE – 800 CE); 3 – Post-Classical Age (800 – 1500); 4 – Age of Empires (1500 – 1857); 5 –Age of Late Colonialism (1857 – 1947); 6 – Age of Independence (1947 – 2017).

Themes (and chapter titles are): sources of authority; defining body and mind; social organization and everyday norms; identity, difference and dialogue; politics and power; visual Culture; lineages and emerging exemplars and movements; and hinduism in global context.

The page extent for the pack is approximately 1632pp. Each volume opens with an Introduction and concludes with Notes, Bibliography, Notes on Contributors, and an Index.

Special introductory offer (valid up to 3 months after publication): £395 / $550 (full price: £440 / $610)

The Cultural Histories Series
A Cultural History of Hinduism is part of the Cultural Histories Series. Titles are available both as printed hardcover sets for libraries needing just one subject or preferring a one-off purchase and tangible reference for their shelves, or as part of a fully searchable digital library, updated twice a year and available to institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access. See for further information or to access content.

About the Author

Karen Pechilis is NEH Distinguished Professor of Humanities and Professor of Comparative Religion at Drew University, USA. She is the author of Interpreting Devotion: The Poetry and Legacy of a Female Bhakti Saint of India (2011), The Graceful Guru: Hindu Female Gurus in India and the United States (2004), and The Embodiment of Bhakti (1999). She is co-editor of South Asian Religions: Tradition and Today (2012), and is on the advisory editorial boards of the International Journal of Hindu Studies, the International Journal of Dharma Studies, and Religion and Gender.