The Oxford History of Hinduism: Hindu Law - A New History of Dharmasastra

Through pointed studies of important aspects and topics of dharma in Dharmaśāstra, this comprehensive collection shows that the history of Hinduism cannot be written without the history of Hindu law.

Part One provides a concise overview of the literary genres in which Dharmasastra was written with attention to chronology and historical developments. This study divides the tradition into its two major historical periods—the origins and formation of the classical texts and the later genres of commentary and digest—in order to provide a thorough, but manageable overview of the textual bases of the tradition.

Part Two presents descriptive and historical studies of all the major substantive topics of Dharmasastra. Each chapter offers readers with salest knowledge of the debates, transformations, and fluctcating importance of each topic. Indirectly, readers will also gain insight into the ethos or worldview of religious law in Hinduism, enabling them to get a feel for how dharma authors thought and why.

Part Three contains brief studies of the impact and reception of Dharmasastra in other South Asian cultural and textual traditions.

Finally, Part Four draws inspiration from "critical terms" in contemporary legal and religious studies to analyze Dharmasastra texts. Contributors offer interpretive views of Dharmasastra that start from hermeneutic and social concerns today. 

Features: 

• Shows that the history of Hinduism cannot be written without the history of Hindu law
• Provides a concise overview of the literary genres in which Dharmasastra was written with attention to chronology and historical developments
• Presents descriptive and historical studies of all the major substantive topics of Dharmasastra
• Contains brief studies of the impact and reception of Dharmasastra in other South Asian cultural and textual traditions
• Draws inspiration from critical terms in contemporary legal and religious studies to analyze Dharmasastra texts

List of abbreviations
List of contributors
Introduction, Donald R. Davis, Jr.
PART I: HISTORY
1: Social and Literary History of Dharmaśāstra: The Foundational Texts, Patrick Olivelle
2: Social and Literary History of Dharmaśāstra: Commentaries and Legal Digests, Donald R. Davis, Jr. and David Brick
PART II: TOPICS
3: Epistemology of Law: dharmapramāṇa, Patrick Olivelle
4: Social Classes: varṇa, Mikael Aktor
5: Orders of Life: āśrama, Patrick Olivelle
6: Rites of Passage: saṃskāra, Axel Michaels
7: The Vedic Student: brahmacārin, Timothy Lubin
8: The Vedic Graduate: snātaka, Timothy Lubin
9: Marriage and the Householder: vivāha, gṛhastha, Stephanie W. Jamison
10: Women: strīdharma, Stephanie W. Jamison
11: Children: putra, duhitṛ, Donald R. Davis, Jr.
12: Inheritance: dāyabhāga, Ludo Rocher
13: Daily Duties: āhnika, Timothy Lubin
14: Food and Dietary Rules: abhakṣya, abhojya, Patrick Olivelle
15: Gifting: dāna, David Brick
16: Funeral and Ancestral Offerings: antyeṣṭi, śrāddha, Matthew R. Sayers
17: Impurity and Purification: āśauca, Mikael Aktor
18: Ascetics: pravrajita, vānaprastha, Patrick Olivelle
19: Law During Emergencies: āpaddharma, Adam Bowles
20: King: rājadharma, Mark McClish
21: Punishment: daṇḍa, Mark McClish
22: Legal Procedure: vyavahāra, Patrick Olivelle
23: Titles of Law: vyavahārapada, Mark McClish
24: Penance: prāyaścitta, David Brick
25: Vows and Observances: vrata, Donald R. Davis, Jr.
26: Pilgrimage: tīrthayātrā, Knut A. Jacobsen
27: Images and Temples: pratiṣṭhā, Richard H. Davis
PART III: INFLUENCES
28: History of the Reception of Dharmaśāstra, Donald R. Davis, Jr.
29: A Buddhist Vinaya as a Source for Indian Law, Gregory Schopen
Part IV: INTERPRETIVE APPROACHES
30: Body, Ariel Glucklich
31: h Chapter 31:, Maria Heim
32: Ritual, Axel Michaels
33: Self and Subjectivity: The Wandering Ascetic and the Manifest World, Jonardon Ganeri
34: Material Culture and Society: The Ancient Indian Alestake, James McHugh
35: Embodiment of Dharma in Animals, Andrea Gutierrez
36: Vernacularization, Christian Lee Novetzke
37: Economics and Business as vaiśyadharma, Donald R. Davis, Jr.
Bibliography