Short description:

This book responds to a critical gap in contemporary scholarship by revisiting dharma beyond the constraints of colonial and Indian nationalist reinterpretations. The book offers a postcolonial, intercultural, and "glocal" re-reading of dharma, emphasizing its multifaceted nature as it intersects with both global and local realities. By challenging the conflation of dharma with the Western category of "religion," it reintroduces dharma as a concept that transcends religious boundaries, deeply relevant not only within Hinduism but also across various cultural and spiritual practices worldwide. Going beyond global interest in Indian traditions like yoga, ayurveda, and mindfulness— each drawing on the ethical and spiritual dimensions of dharma—this book provides a nuanced framework for understanding dharma in the contemporary world. It invites readers to reconsider the traditional and modern implications of dharma, recovering its richness as a guiding principle for personal, social, and global well-being. This book is an essential resource for scholars and students in religious studies, postcolonial studies, South Asian philosophy, and anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the transformative nature of dharma in a globalized world.

Jijoy Mathew is a Researcher on indigenous Indian religions, cultural and traditional knowledge systems. He received his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Religion and Theology, VU University, Amsterdam, and also holds B.A. and M.A. in Oriental Studies (University of Kerala) and M.Th. in Religion (Senate of Serampore College, India). His research covers indigenous religious traditions, cultural practices and their contemporary manifestations and relevance, with a focus on the Global South. He is currently working on a monograph project on Gandhian philosophy, the Bhagavadgita and ecological spirituality.

Long description:

This book responds to a critical gap in contemporary scholarship by revisiting dharma beyond the constraints of colonial and Indian nationalist reinterpretations. The book offers a postcolonial, intercultural, and "glocal" re-reading of dharma, emphasizing its multifaceted nature as it intersects with both global and local realities. By challenging the conflation of dharma with the Western category of "religion," it reintroduces dharma as a concept that transcends religious boundaries, deeply relevant not only within Hinduism but also across various cultural and spiritual practices worldwide. Going beyond global interest in Indian traditions like yoga, ayurveda, and mindfulness— each drawing on the ethical and spiritual dimensions of dharma—this book provides a nuanced framework for understanding dharma in the contemporary world. It invites readers to reconsider the traditional and modern implications of dharma, recovering its richness as a guiding principle for personal, social, and global well-being. This book is an essential resource for scholars and students in religious studies, postcolonial studies, South Asian philosophy, and anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the transformative nature of dharma in a globalized world.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1. Reimagining Dharma — Postcolonialism and the Global Study of Religion.- Part 1: The Development of Dharma.- Chapter 2. Semantic and Indigenous Past.- Chapter 3. Conceptual Continuity.- Chapter 4. In Localities.- Part 2: Dharma and Religion.- Chapter 5. Colonial and Indian Making.- Chapter 6. Dharma: A Glocal Phenomenon.