Through a pointed study of an important aspect or topic of dharma in Dharmasastra, this collection shows that the history of Hinduism cannot be written without the history of Hindu law. Part One provides a concise overview of the literary genres in which Dharmasastra was written with attentionto chronology and historical developments. This study divides the tradition into its two major historical periods - the origins and formation of the classical texts and the later genres of commentary and digest - in order to provide a thorough, but manageable overview of the textual bases of thetradition. Part Two presents descriptive and historical studies of all the major substantive topics of Dharmasastra. Each chapter offers readers with salest knowledge of the debates, transformations, and fluctcating importance of each topic. Indirectly, readers will also gain insight into the ethosor worldview of religious law in Hinduism, enabling them to get a feel for how dharma authors thought and why. Part Three contains brief studies of the impact and reception of Dharmasastra in other South Asian cultural and textual traditions. Finally, Part Four draws inspiration from "criticalterms" in contemporary legal and religious studies to analyze Dharmasastra texts. Contributors offer interpretive views of Dharmasastra that start from hermeneutic and social concerns today. | The Oxford History of Hinduism: Hindu Law by Patrick Olivelle, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters