5

South and Southeast

Asia

Rowena Robinson and Vineeta Sinha*

SOUTHASIA

Introduction 127

The idea of ‘Hindu India’ 127

Alternative histories of religion 128

The influence and critique of Dumontian Structuralism 129

Studies of other religious communities 132

Buddhism and religious strife in Sri Lanka 135

Bangladesh, Pakistan, and comparative studies 136

Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal 138

Conclusion 139

SOUTHEASTASIA

Introduction 139

Methodological routes 140

Mapping the field: religious studies in Southeast Asia 141

Concluding thoughts 147

Notes 148

References 149

* The section on South Asia is by Rowena Robinson, that on Southeast Asia by

Vineeta Sinha.