Negotiating Religion

The essays collected in this book present recent scholarly thinking about religious texts, beliefs and practices in various epochs of Indian history. A comprehensive historiographical introduction is followed by contributions from thirteen scholars who in their different ways examine the complex relationship between the religious phenomena and their historical contexts. The collection seeks to explore the history of Indias religious traditions and cultures through three Texts, Traditions and Discourse; Divinity and the Feminine and Religious Identities. By relating the religious processes in Indian history to such issues as caste and gender, identity and community formation, and domination and resistance, the essays interrogate many commonly held assumptions of colonial, nationalist and communal histories in regard to the issues of religious conflicts, interactions and syncretism. Written from an interdisciplinary perspective, the articles in the volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of the history of Indian religious movements and cultures.

Rameshwar Prasad Bahuguna teaches Medieval Indian History at the Department. of History and Culture, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Ranjeeta Dutta teaches Medieval Indian History at the Department of History and Culture, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She was a fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla during 2009-11.

Farhat Nasreen teaches Medieval Indian History at the Department. of History and Culture, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She has researched on the Braj region in the medieval period.