traditions of South Asia.
With contributions from international experts in their field, the book contains three sections, exploring the classical traditions of South Asia (Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, and Islamic), religious violence in contemporary South Asia, and finally globalization and theoretical issues informing contemporary discussions of the relationship between religion and violence.

1. Introduction Part 1: Classical Approaches to Violence in South Asian Traditions 2. Telling Stories about Harm: An Overview of Himsa in Early Indian Narratives 3. Text as Sword: Sikh Religious Violence Taken as Wonder 4. Early Buddhist Approaches and Attitudes to Violence 5. The Non-Violence of Violence: Jain Perspectives on Warfare, Asceticism and Worship 6. Crimes Against God and Violent Punishment in Arabic Islamic Literature Part 2: Religion and Violence in Contemporary South Asia 7. Operationalizing Buddhism for Political Ends in a Martial Context in Lanka, the Case of Sinhalatva 8. Religion and Violence: The Historical Context for Conflict in Pakistan 9. Communal Riots in Gujarat: The State at Risk? Part 3: Theory: Framing the 'Religion and Violence' Debate 10. A Categorical Difference: Communal Identity in British Epistemologies 11. The Global Fiduciary: Learning to Mediate the Violence of 'Religion'