The Negative Theology of Nund Rishi
The Negative Theology of Nund Rishi

Author: Abir Bazaz

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2023-09-30

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 1009100459

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This book is an extensive critical study of the mystical poetry of Nund Rishi (1378-1440), the founder of the Kashmiri Sufi order called the Rishi Order, who is revered and remembered by most Kashmiris as 'Alamdār-e Kashmir or the flag-bearer of Kashmir. The author breaks with dominant perceptions of Nund Rishi as a quietistic Sufi and argues that the themes of Islam, Death, the Nothing and the Apocalyptic in his poetry are a form of negative theology. Nund Rishi's negative theology is presented as a discourse on the transcendent which relies on negations rather than affirmations that disclose an existential politics. It explores Nund Rishi's mystical poetry not only within its historical context but also in relation to religious and political controversies in medieval Kashmir. The book locates the negative theology of Nund Rishi as one form, among others, of the 'negative path' across regions in the medieval Indo-Persian world.

Speaking Peace
Speaking Peace

Author: Urvashi Butalia

Publisher: Zubaan

Published: 2014-03-28

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 9383074701

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Kashmir has been, for some years, a key issue on the Indian political map. More than a decade of conflict has deeply affected people’s livelihoods and living environments, their health, their eating habits, their work and workplaces, their access to education. The impact of these things is felt most sharply in the lives of women, and yet, few discussions on Kashmir pay attention to this. The book reflects the range of women’s experiences in this conflict. How has the conflict affected them? How have they learnt to live with continuing violence? What strategies have they used to cope, to find a space to share or express what they are going through? What impact has the conflict had on their health and on their access to education? What has it meant for families, for power equations within them, for relationships, for children? The contributions in this book explore these issues through interviews with Kashmiri women, personal reflective pieces, extracts from different reports and books. Together they draw attention to a vital aspect of the conflict that has been all but forgotten. Published by Zubaan.

Militant Islam
Militant Islam

Author: Stephen Vertigans

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2008-10-30

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 1134126395

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Militant Islam provides a sociological framework for understanding the rise and character of recent Islamic militancy. It takes a systematic approach to the phenomenon and includes analysis of cases from around the world, comparisons with militancy in other religions, and their causes and consequences. The sociological concepts and theories examined in the book include those associated with social closure, social movements, nationalism, risk, fear and ‘de-civilising’. These are applied within three main themes; characteristics of militant Islam, multi-layered causes and the consequences of militancy, in particular Western reactions within the ‘war on terror’. Interrelationships between religious and secular behaviour, ‘terrorism’ and ‘counter-terrorism’, popular support and opposition are explored. Through the examination of examples from across Muslim societies and communities, the analysis challenges the popular tendency to concentrate upon ‘al-Qa’ida’ and the Middle East. This book will be of interest to students of Sociology, Political Science and International Relations, in particular those taking courses on Islam, religion, terrorism, political violence and related regional studies.

Modern South Asia
Modern South Asia

Author: Sugata Bose

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9780415307871

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A wide-ranging survey of the Indian sub-continent, Modern South Asia gives an enthralling account of South Asian history. After sketching the pre-modern history of the subcontinent, the book concentrates on the last three centuries from c.1700 to the present. Jointly written by two leading Indian and Pakistani historians, Modern South Asia offers a rare depth of understanding of the social, economic and political realities of this region. This comprehensive study includes detailed discussions of: the structure and ideology of the British raj; the meaning of subaltern resistance; the refashioning of social relations along lines of caste class, community and gender; and the state and economy, society and politics of post-colonial South Asia The new edition includes a rewritten, accessible introduction and a chapter by chapter revision to take into account recent research. The second edition will also bring the book completely up to date with a chapter on the period from 1991 to 2002 and adiscussion of the last millennium in sub-continental history.

Understanding Culture and Society in India
Understanding Culture and Society in India

Author: Abha Chauhan

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-06-26

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 9811615985

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This book is an in-depth account of people’s cultural and religious life in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It brings out the significance of Sufi and deity shrines as alternative places of worship that give meaning and purpose to people’s lives. It includes sites and practices commonly associated with Islam/Sufism and Hinduism as spaces of shared culture. Most of the existing literature of Jammu and Kashmir is on Kashmir focusing mostly on topics such as politics, state, identity, conflict or violence. This book proposes to go beyond these works by delimiting the focus and area of the study to culture, society and religion. It explores the sites of religious pluralism and tolerance in the violence-ridden territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The chapters are mainly based on ethnographic data collected through qualitative methods like observation – participant and non-participant, case studies, in-depth interviews and oral history. The book is of interest to researchers, both faculty and graduate students, in the areas of sociology of religion, social anthropology, religious studies, cultural studies, Sufism, shrines and deity worship in South Asia.