REL 483.001
Religion and Identity in South Asia

Posing as a Christian, a Muslim, and a Hindu, these Sindhi Hindus are celebrating religious harmony.

Professor
Dr. Steven Ramey
sramey@bama.ua.edu

Office: 202 Manly Hall
Office Phone: 348-4218
Office Hour: T 11:15-12:15
R 12:30-1:30 and
by appointment
Course Number: 17176
Course: T,R 2:00-3:15
Location: 210 Manly Hall

About Online Readings

Some course readings are placed in a "secure" folder; you can only access these PDF files (Portable Document Format, that can be opened with the free Adobe Reader) by clicking each link and then entering your Bama User Name and Password. If you have difficulty accessing these readings, contact the instructor by email.

If you have forgotten your Bama ID, but know your Campus Wide ID (CWID), then go here.

Description

In this course, we will critically analyze the various ways people identify themselves and draw boundaries to separate groups from each other, using a series of case studies focusing on South Asia. While these divisions involve many elements, such as nationality, linguistic identity, gender, and class, aspects of human experience commonly identified as religious frequently intersect with these divisions. Throughout the course, we will develop various theoretical reflections on issues of identity and contested boundaries based on these case studies.

Syllabus

Spring 2008 Syllabus (PDF)

Exercises

Spring 2008 Reading Schedule (PDF)

List of Presentations (PDF)

Potential Research Topics (PDF)

Small Group Exercise (PDF)

Hindu Movements for February 19 (PDF)

Books (required)

Flueckiger, Joyce.
In Amma's Healing Room: Gender and Venacular Islam in South India
Indiana University Press
ISBN 0253218373

Nandy, Ashis.
Exiled at Home: Comprising At the Edge of Psychology, The Intimate Enemy and Creating a Nationality
Oxford Press
ISBN 0195667921

Jaffrey, Madhur
Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India. Vintage Reprint edition 2007 (paperback)
Vintage Reprint edition 2007 (paperback)
ISBN: 1400078202

Online Readings

D.N. Jha, "The Myth of the Holy Cow"

David N. Lorenzen, "Who Invented Hinduism?" (low resolution version - PDF)

David N. Lorenzen, "Who Invented Hinduism?" (high resolution version - PDF)

Kenneth Jones, "Religious Identity and the Indian Census" (PDF)

W. H. McLeod, "The Contributions of the Singh Sabha Movement" (PDF)

Appiah, The Ethics of Identity (PDF)

Collingham, "Curry" (PDF)

Ewing, "Arguing Sainthood" (PDF)

Srinivas, "Mobility in caste" (PDF)

Ashis Nandy, Intimate Enemy 1-29 (PDF)

Ashis Nandy, Intimate Enemy 48-63 (PDF)

Ashis Nandy, Intimate Enemy 79-96 (PDF)

Ashis Nandy, Intimate Enemy 96-113 (PDF)

Ramey, "Defining Movements" (PDF)

Lelyveld, "Colonial Knowledge and the Fate of Hindustani" (PDF)

Marriott, "Feast of Love" (PDF)

Takhar, Sikh Identity (PDF)

Nandy, Creating a Nationality, Chp 1 (PDF) Print in Landscape Mode

Nandy, Creating a Nationality, Chp 2 (PDF)
Print in Landscape Mode

Nandy, Creating a Nationality, Chp 3 (PDF)
Print in Landscape Mode

Nandy, Creating a Nationality, Chp 4 VII (PDF) Print in Landscape Mode

Nandy, Creating a Nationality, Chp 4 VIII
(PDF) Print in Landscape Mode

Nandy, Creating a Nationality, Chp 6
(PDF) Print in Landscape Mode