The Jains have exerted an influence on Indian Society and religion out of proportion with their relatively small numbers. The Assembly of Listeners: the Jains in Society is the first book to address the sociology of the Jains and to discuss the notion of the 'community' based on religious affiliation in India. Topics covered include Jain ideals and identity; women in the Jains community; popular Jainism; Jain reform and Jain identity in the UK. This collection is an important theoretical addition to the study of Indian society, which has previously focussed mainly on caste and class politics as the fundamental social units. With much recent fieldwork providing unique information on the ethnography of the Jains, this study will prove indispensable to any scholar interested in this little known but highly influential social group.
Reviews
From the hardback review: ' ... not just a major contribution to the anthropology of Jainism, but also, indirectly, to the anthropology of South Asia's towns and cities.' Man From the hardback review: ' ... a volume whose imaginative conception and meticulous execution cannot fail to win one's respect.' Ethnos
