Developments in Hindu Law from the Colonial to the Present
Hinduism and law have often been understood as Hindu law: A body of fixed positive law and legal hermeneutics that can be used to govern the lives of Hindus. Marriage, adoption, inheritance, property, and contract are just some of the vast areas of private and public life which colonial officials cl...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
2013
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| In: |
Religion compass
Year: 2013, Volume: 7, Issue: 7, Pages: 252-262 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Hinduism and law have often been understood as Hindu law: A body of fixed positive law and legal hermeneutics that can be used to govern the lives of Hindus. Marriage, adoption, inheritance, property, and contract are just some of the vast areas of private and public life which colonial officials classified under the rubric of Hindu law and attempted to regulate using Sanskrit texts and native scholar-translators. Which texts were used, in what versions, and to what purposes were animating concerns during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Similarly, colonial officials debated the extent to which material identified as correct Hindu law should be reformed and brought into keeping with modern principles of equality and justice. After independence, the Indian state has been deeply involved in regulating and reforming the lives of its Hindu citizens through constitutional measures as well as through judicial interpretations and legislative reforms. This relationship between the Indian state and Hindu law has generated novel conceptions of secular governance from scholars and legislators while also reaffirming the interdependence of textual analysis and state law. |
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| ISSN: | 1749-8171 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion compass
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/rec3.12052 |