Animal Sacrifice, Religion and Law in South Asia

This book presents original research on the controversies surrounding animal sacrifice in South Asia through the lens of court cases. It focuses on the parties involved in these cases: on their discourse, motivations, and contrasting points of view.

Autorentext

Daniela Berti is a social anthropologist and research fellow at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Paris, France, and a member of the Centre for South Asian and Himalayan Studies (CESAH), Paris, France.

Anthony Good is Professor Emeritus of Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and an associate member of CESAH.

Inhalt

List of figures and tables

Contributors

Acknowledgements

Introduction: The judicialisation and politicisation of sacrifice

1 Animal sacrifice, politics and the law in Tamil Nadu, South India

2 Animal sacrifice on trial: Moral reforms and religious freedom in India

3 Hidden meanings of buffalo sacrifice: Dalit defiance and the working of law and the state in South India

4 On blood, power, and public interest: The concealment of Hindu sacrificial rites under Indian law

5 'Who belled the cat?': The magistrate, the king, the pandit and the abolition of animal sacrifice in a Bengali town

6 The last straw on the camel's back: Analysing judicial decisions and legal approaches on protection of camels in India

7 'Not in the name of dharma': A judgment of the Supreme Court of Nepal on mass sacrifices at the Gäh M Mel

Afterword

Index