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Religion and Political Conflict in South Asia: India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka
Contributor(s): Allen, Douglas (Author)
ISBN: 031327309X     ISBN-13: 9780313273094
Publisher: Praeger
OUR PRICE:   $94.05  
Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats
Published: August 1992
Qty:
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Political Science | Comparative Politics
- Religion
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies - General
Dewey: 322.109
LCCN: 91-45627
Lexile Measure: 1550
Series: Contributions to the Study of Education
Physical Information: 0.89" H x 6.24" W x 9.54" (1.19 lbs) 240 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

One of the most dramatic and surprising developments of the last twenty years was the proliferation of aggressive political movements linked to religion. This book examines the interplay of religion and politics in predominantly Hindu India, Islamic Pakistan, and Buddhist Sri Lanka. This collection of studies by internationally known scholars challenges traditional stereotypes and interpretations of South Asian religion and politics and provides a multidisciplinary perspective on contemporary conflicts. While the focus of the work is on Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka, the arguments advanced by the authors are useful for understanding recent developments in religion and politics around the world.

An informative introduction overviews the link between religion and political conflict in South Asia and offers a framework and synopsis of the chapters that follow. These are grouped into three parts by nationality. The chapters on India examine recent elections and the growth of militant Hinduism, the impact of caste relations on socio-economic conditions, and the problems of Muslims as the largest religious minority in India. The chapters on Pakistan explore how political and economic changes led to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism; the historical relationship among gender, nationalism, and the Islamic state; and the evolution of a capitalist social system in an Islamic nation. The chapters on Sri Lanka explain the role of Buddhist myth in justifying political oppression, the conflict between the ideal of Buddhist pacifism and the reality of political violence, and the impact of race, class, and gender on political conflict. Political scientists, historians, and religion scholars will find this study a timely and valuable addition to their libraries.