SAST0053 - Religion and Politics in South Asia

This course will examine the relationship between religion and politics in South Asia from circa 1000 to 2000 C.E. This course is not designed to provide a comprehensive survey of every significant political conflict about religion over the last millennium. Instead, we will focus on key issues that have generated such contests repeatedly. The emphasis will be on political patronage of religious shrines and its converse, iconoclasm; on religious conversions; on clashes that were perceived as clashes between religious communities; and on popular religious movements and their appeal at particular historical moments. We will explore the politics of religion and of religious affiliation from the eleventh to the twentieth centuries by reviewing the rich historiography. No prior knowledge of South Asia is expected.