The Spirit of Hindu Law Hardback - Tapa dura

Review of the hardback: 'It has been said that Hindu law is only the imagination of Hindu lawyers with no Sanskrit, but the Sanskritists are now coming to the rescue. In The Spirit of Hindu Law Donald R. Davis, Jr. provides not only an authoritative reading of ancient texts, but a challenging view of law itself. The presentation is conceptual and not historical, comparative and not contextual, and the author rightly insists that we can learn from and not simply about one of the oldest legal traditions of the world. It is a splendid book.' H. Patrick Glenn, McGill University

Review of the hardback: 'Donald Davis has made the study of traditional Indian law accessible and interesting to both the layman and the scholar who has otherwise considered the subject dull, forbidding, or out of the mainstream of Indian culture and religion. He contextualizes his material more astutely than has ever been the case in a major study of Hindu law, and easily addresses a number of topics relevant to many other fields of inquiry, including history, anthropology, sociology, and religious studies. This is a book with which every serious student of India should become familiar.' Frederick M. Smith, University of Iowa

Review of the hardback: 'The Spirit of Hindu Law is a learned yet accessible and lucidly written overview of Hindu modes of legal thinking through detailed examination of Dharmasastra texts and commentaries. Focusing on Hindu law in its close connection to theology and ordinary life, Davis opens up a complex world of legal concepts and practices to the specialist and non-specialist alike. Illuminating comparisons are drawn throughout to our own Euro-American legal tradition, including a fascinating analogy between the Mimamsa hermeneutic project and the modern-day filing of federal income tax forms! This volume will appeal to anyone interested in Indian intellectual history, the study of South Asian religions, and comparative ethics and law. Anne E. Monius, Harvard Divinity School

Donald R. Davis, Jr. is Associate Professor in the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison.