Sinha (2003) are possibly among the few recent exceptions. Giri analyzes
religious resurgence in contemporary United States, while Fazal’s interest lies
closer to home, in the place of religion and language in the politics of
Bangladesh and Pakistan. Diaspora studies have provided the terrain for
explorations in contemporary religion and culture across the globe by scholars
of Indian origin (e.g. Jain 1993, Shukla 2003).
Appadurai (1997) with his work on cultural globalization and Robinson
(2001) through the analysis of Internet sites on Hinduism provide other points
of view for the play of religious identities on a global scale. Ashis Nandy’s
abiding interest in contemporary ethnic and religious conflict has led him to
collaborate on work on several countries in South and Southeast Asia (Pfaff-
Czarnecka et al.1999). Akbar Ahmed, the Pakistani scholar, has also focused
attention on religion and the state in the region, and his work will be analyzed
further on. It is true for a bulk of the work, but certainly not in every case,
that specific religions have been studied by those belonging to the particular
faith. We have also seen that in the South Asian region, we have to proceed
by examining some of the major countries separately, because most studies
tend to be country-specific.
Whatever perspective they may emerge from, for Hinduism, then, we have
a range of studies on various aspects including the idea of purity and impurity
(V. Das 1977; Srinivas 1952, 1969 [1955]), temple organization, festivals,
sacrifice and pilgrimages (Appadurai 1981; Appadurai and Breckenridge 1976;
Bharati 1963; Selvam 1996, 1997; Shankari 1982, 1984; Kapur 1985; Das
1983), popular religion at the village level (Ghurye 1960; Chauhan 1967) and
religious movements, gurus, cults and goddess traditions (Dandekar 1988;
Gupta 1973; Dube 2001; Kakar 1983; Ram 1991; Mines and Gourishankar
1990).
There has been interest in the historical understanding of religious change
(Thapar 1993, 1997, 2000). Historians who have employed a gender perspec-
tive to understand ancient Hinduism as well as changes brought about in
Hinduism under colonialism include Chakravarti (1989, 2004), Sarkar (1998,
2001) and Roy (1995). Sarkar, in particular, has traced the connections
between women, domesticity, and a particular understanding of community
and nation, a trajectory that has ominous implications for an understanding
of the contemporary politics of religion. Ramaswamy (1996, 1997) has
explored the worlds of women saints of the Virashaivite tradition in medieval
south India.
From the discipline of English Literature have emerged several scholars with
an interest in themes related to religion. Sangari and Vaid (1989) have
assembled together a number of scholars interested in discovering anew the
relations between gender, culture and religion in a historical perspective.
Again, from literature and philosophy, Ramanujan (1973) and Radhakrish-
nan (1927) have had a great influence on the study of Hinduism. Indologist130
ROWENA ROBINSON AND VINEETA SINHA