Religious traditions in modern South Asia / Jacqueline Suthren Hirst and John Zavos.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introducing South Asia, re-introducing "religion" -- Deity -- Texts and their authority -- Myth -- Ritual and worship -- Teachers and their traditions -- Caste : social relations, cultural formations -- The confluence of caste and religion -- Encounters with the west -- The construction of religious boundaries -- Public and private space -- Conflicting paradigms -- Twisting the kaleidoscope : reflections in conclusion.

"This book offers a fresh approach to the study of religion in modern South Asia. It uses a series of case studies to explore the development of religious ideas and practices, giving students an understanding of the social, political and historical context. It looks at some familiar themes in the study of religion, such as deity, authoritative texts, myth, worship, teacher traditions and caste, and some of the key ways in which Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism in South Asia have been shaped in the modern period. The book points to the diversity of ways of looking at religious traditions and considers the impact of gender, politics, and the way religion itself is variously understood."--Publisher's description.