Political Roles of Religious Communities in India

The volume is organized into three thematic sections. The first examines the theoretical relationship between individuals, religious communities, the state, and globalization, addressing historiography, jurisdiction, secularism, Muslim personal law, and the Kashmir dispute. The second section presents case studies of major religious communities and movements in India, including Hindu-Muslim relations, Buddhism in Ladakh and eastern India, Christian missionary activity among tribal populations in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikh political activism in India and the diaspora, and the historical development of the Matak movement in Assam. The final section offers a comparative perspective by examining European and Indian experiences of nation-building, citizenship, secularism, and the political position of religious communities. Throughout the collection, the contributors investigate how religion shapes identity, law, conflict, governance, peacebuilding, and democratic politics within the diverse social and constitutional landscape of modern India.