Topics in Hinduism (309-0-20)

Topic

Hindu Law & Statecraft

Instructors

Mark Richard McClish

Meeting Info

555 Clark 230: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Although not often recognized, law has played as important a role in the development of Hinduism as it has in Judaism or Islam. One scholar has recently argued that we can understand "Hinduism" best if we see it as a legal tradition. This course will be a survey of the tradition of Hindu law (dharmaśāstra) in India from the 6th c. BCE to its demise in the modern period. We will explore the beginnings of the scholarly legal tradition, its relationship with Hindu statecraft (arthaśāstra), its interaction with other legal systems of South Asia, its role in colonial administration, and its ultimate replacement by modern Indian law. Our investigation will focus on the formal features of Hindu law while placing it in a broader historical and cultural perspective. To this end, we will explore the relationship between the scholarly tradition and law in practice, the relationship between Brahmanism, law, and politics, and the role of caste and gender in the formation of Hindu law. This seminar will also provide us with the opportunity to think about Hindu law in the context of comparative law and legal anthropology.

Counts towards Religion, Law, and Politics (RLP) religious studies major concentration.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci
Ethics & Values Distro Area