Religion and Politics in South Asia B will provide an understanding of the interaction of religion and politics in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh from 1857 to the present. Attention will also be given to events in Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The course is concerned with the interaction of religion - in particular Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism - with political developments since the establishment of British hegemony. Although some of the political events and religious developments discussed are of the past, they are presented in the light of the way in which they have shaped the political and strategic role of the countries of South Asia on the world stage today. The aim of the course is to enable students when faced with accounts of religions and social strife in this region to be able to engage with those issues, to understand them in their historical contexts, to analyse them and think critically about them, and to know how and where to find further information. We will explore the Sepoy Rebellion, the Bengal Rennaisance, the rise of Congress, Independence and Partition, the emergence of the Hindu Right, the Kashmir conflict and communal violence.

32 contact hours per semester

6 university courses (36 units).

AREL2161 Indian Religions and Cultures

De Bary, William Theodore (ed.). Sources of Indian Tradition: Volume II