Provincialising Pluralism

An authoritative exploration of South Asian ways of thinking about difference, diversity, and ‘the other’ that encourages a significant change to how we understand pluralism.

How have South Asian traditions responded to plurality and difference? The question lies at the centre of this collection, inviting us to challenge established conceptions of pluralism and understand South Asian ways of thinking about difference, diversity, and ‘the other’.

Drawing from a wide range of literary, intellectual, and religious sources, this is the first in-depth treatment of how South Asian traditions understand themselves in relation to others in a context where there are so many. Marking a significant contribution to re-thinking pluralism in the 21st century, it shows what we can stand to learn from recognising the diversity among the pluralisms seen throughout the history of South Asian thought.

Bringing together engaging case studies, a team of leading scholars articulate different theorisations of plurality articulated across South Asian traditions from antiquity to the present. Each example is representative of the rich variety of pluralisms in South Asia, cutting across historical periods, knowledge systems and religious groups.

This diverse collection covers Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam, and Hinduism, identifies strategies we use for engaging with different traditions and uncovers how we conceptualise the status of our own truth claims in relation to others.