Scholars have studied polyandry in modern India with reference to specific areas; but the investigation of its past history in the Indian context remains a desideratum. The present book therefore fills a gap in historical research relating to an institution as interesting as it is ancient as significant as it is slighted, or sought to be swept under the carpet. Based on original sources it clearly and categorically established the prevalence of polyandry amongst Vedic Aryans as also amongst other peoples of the old Indo-European stock.
Through the study of the various aspects of marriage, this book highlights the cultural diversity of India. An account has been given of the changing political and social structure of the entire medieval period and how that affected the cultural sub-structure, which is observed through the prism of the institution of marriage in Rajasthan. Marriage customs and rituals have been situated in the changing social and political structure and a study has been made of polygamy, dowry, concubinage, and the age of marriage. The shifting motivations for marriage alliances in that period, be they political or economic, have also been analysed. Two prominent themes in this book are Sati and widowhood, which are seen as forms of women's oppression. The conventional narrative behind these practices are challenged, and the complex motives behind committing Sati are appraised. Widow remarriage was prevalent, not only among all castes but even among the upper caste Rajputs, so it was not the lack of widow remarriage that compelled the women to become Sati. The book touches on martial and sexual morality of the time. This includes recording instances of infidelity and the State response thereof. The book approaches this topic from a historical perspective, based on archival and literary evidence.
Continuing the comparative survey of pre-industrial family formation undertaken in The Development of Family and Marriage in Europe (1983), Professor Goody looks in depth at kinship practice in Asia. His findings cause him to question many traditional assumptions about the "primitive" East, and he suggests that, in contrast to pre-colonial Africa, kinship practice in Asia has much in common with that prevailing in parts of pre-industrial Europe. Goody examines the transmission of productive and other property in relation both to the prevailing political economy and to family and ideological structures, and explores the distribution of mechanisms and strategies of management across cultures. The book concludes that notions of western "uniqueness" are often misplaced, and that much previous work on Asian kinship has been unwittingly distorted by the application of concepts and approaches derived from other, inappropriate, social formations.
Women In Early Indian Societies Is An Anthology Of Articles And Excerpts From Leading Works On The Theme. There Is A Special Focus On Issues And Perspectives In Historical Writings, On The Material Underpinnings Of Gender Relations, Socio-Sexual Construction Of Gender And The Complex Relationship Between Women And Religious Traditions. The Introductory Essay And Bibliography Contextualise The Themes Which Are Explored And Suggest Possibilities For Future Research.
Patricia Crone's book is about the Iranian response to the Muslim penetration of the Iranian countryside, the revolts subsequently triggered there and the religious communities that these revolts revealed. The book also describes a complex of religious ideas that, however varied in space and unstable over time, has demonstrated a remarkable persistence in Iran across a period of two millennia. The central thesis is that this complex of ideas has been endemic to the mountain population of Iran and occasionally become epidemic with major consequences for the country, most strikingly in the revolts examined here and in the rise of the Safavids who imposed Shi'ism on Iran. This learned and engaging book by one of the most influential scholars of early Islamic history casts entirely new light on the nature of religion in pre-Islamic Iran and on the persistence of Iranian religious beliefs both outside and inside Islam after the Arab conquest.
