The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Hinduism - (Wiley Blackwell Companions to Religion) 2nd Edition by Gavin Flood (Hardcover)
About this item
Highlights
- An accessible and up-to-date survey of scholarly thinking about Hinduism, perfect for courses on Hinduism or world religions The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Hinduism examines the historical trajectories that have led to the modern religion of Hinduism.
- About the Author: Gavin Flood is Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion at Oxford University, Academic Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, and Senior Research Fellow at Campion Hall.
- 656 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Hinduism
- Series Name: Wiley Blackwell Companions to Religion
Description
About the Book
Previous edition published in 2003 by Blackwell.Book Synopsis
An accessible and up-to-date survey of scholarly thinking about Hinduism, perfect for courses on Hinduism or world religions
The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Hinduism examines the historical trajectories that have led to the modern religion of Hinduism. Covering main themes such as philosophy, practice, society, and science, this comprehensive volume brings together a variety of approaches and perspectives in Hindu Studies to help readers better appreciate the richness, complexity, and diversity of Hinduism. Essays by acknowledged experts in the field present historical accounts of all major traditions, analyze key texts, engage with Hindu theology and philosophy, address contemporary questions of colonialism and identity, and more. Throughout the text, the authors highlight the links, common threads, and issues that reoccur in the history of Hinduism.
Fully revised and updated, the second edition of the Companion incorporates the most recent scholarship and reflects the trend away from essentialist understandings of Hinduism. New chapters examine the Goddess tradition, Hindu diaspora, Hinduism and inter-religious comparison, Hindu philosophy, and Indian astronomy, medicine, language, and mathematics. This edition places further emphasis on the importance of region-specific studies in analyzing Hinduism, discusses important theoretical issues, and offers fresh perspectives on current discourse in Hindu society and politics.
- Provides a thorough overview of major texts, their histories, and the traditions that preserve them
- Describes the major textual traditions in Sanskrit with examples in different Indian vernacular languages
- Addresses major issues and contemporary debates about the nature and study of Hinduism
- Discusses the importance of systematic, rational thinking in Indian sciences, philosophy, and theology
- Examines key socio-political themes in Hinduism that are of particular relevance to the modern world
The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Hinduism, Second Edition is an excellent text for undergraduate courses on Hinduism in Religious Studies and Philosophy departments, and an invaluable resource for scholars and researchers in Hindu Studies.
From the Back Cover
Praise for the previous edition
"This collection offers a new way to parse the multiple entryways into the vast arena of Hinduism. Using the general divisional categories of theoretical issues, text and tradition, systematic thought, and society, politics and nation, Flood has achieved significant breadth in disciplines, subjects and historical perspectives."
--Choice
"This is a most welcome, timely, and authoritative assessment of the entire field of study, a most commendable response to an enormous challenge."
--Journal of Contemporary Religion
"The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism effectively serves to condense the proliferation of scholarship on Hinduism. ... The approach is interdisciplinary and places Hinduism not within a sphere of its own, but within a larger context, reading it as a dynamic product of historical global exchange. ... A handsome addition to academic and personal libraries."
--Asian Studies Review
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Hinduism explores the richness, complexity, and diversity of one of the world's great religions. Providing readers with an accessible overview of contemporary Hindu Studies, this accessible volume presents historical accounts of all major traditions, analyzes specific texts, and addresses key debates about the nature and study of Hinduism. Through thirty-one essays, leading experts examine main themes such as philosophy, theology, society, and science while highlighting the links, common threads, and important issues that reoccur in the history of Hinduism.
This new edition is fully revised to incorporate the most recent scholarship and approaches in the field, such as the use and value of region-specific studies in analyzing Hinduism. Along with chapters on different Indian sciences, including astronomy, medicine, and mathematics, entirely new chapters discuss the Goddess tradition, Hindu diaspora, and Hindu philosophy. Throughout the companion, the contributors engage with important theoretical questions and offer insights into ongoing socio-political issues.
Examining the historical trajectories that have led to the modern religion of Hinduism, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Hinduism, Second Edition is an ideal text for undergraduate courses on Hinduism in Religious Studies and Philosophy departments, and an invaluable resource for scholars and researchers in Hindu Studies.
About the Author
Gavin Flood is Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion at Oxford University, Academic Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, and Senior Research Fellow at Campion Hall. He is the author of several books including Religion and the Philosophy of Life.
