Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present

by Kaushik Roy

Overview

This book challenges the view, common among Western scholars, that precolonial India lacked a tradition of military philosophy. It traces the evolution of theories of warfare in India from the dawn of civilization, focusing on the debate between Dharmayuddha (Just War) and Kutayuddha (Unjust War) within Hindu philosophy. This debate centers around four questions: What is war? What justifies it? How should it be waged? And what are its potential repercussions? This body of literature provides evidence of the historical evolution of strategic thought in the Indian subcontinent that has heretofore been neglected by modern historians. Further, it provides a counterpoint to scholarship in political science that engages solely with Western theories in its analysis of independent India's philosophy of warfare. Ultimately, a better understanding of the legacy of ancient India's strategic theorizing will enable more accurate analysis of modern India's military and nuclear policies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781139579469
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/15/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	765 KB

About the Author

Kaushik Roy is a Reader in History at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India, and Senior Researcher at the Centre for the Study of Civil War at the Peace Research Institute, Oslo, Norway. He is the author or editor of fifteen books and numerous journal articles, one of which won the Moncado Prize in 2006.

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Religious ethic and the philosophy of warfare in vedic and epic India: 1500 BCE–400 BCE; 2. Buddhism, Jainism, and Asoka's Ahimsa; 3. Kautilya's Kutayuddha: 300 BCE–300 CE; 4. Dharmayuddha and Kutayuddha from the Common Era till the advent of the Turks; 5. Hindu militarism under Islamic Rule: 900 CE–1800 CE; 6. Hindu militarism and anti-militarism in British India: 1750–1947; 7. Hindu military ethos and strategic thought in post-colonial India; Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

"This book challenges the view, common among Western scholars, that precolonial India lacked a tradition of military philosophy."
-Military review

From the Publisher