The essays in this collection seek to set up the genealogy of modern Hinduism. They trace key moments in the formation of Hindu traditions, in their relations as well as in major shifts in their configurations. The endeavour is not only to dismantle colonial and nationalist constructions, but also to seek viable models to reconstruct past traditions.The first section begins with an engagement with early medieval traditions and with the relationship of the Sanskritic to the non-Sanskritic, of the centripetal to the powerful centrifugal forces, which diversified and regionalized constantly. While connected to each other by a shared cultural context and numerous common features, the post-Vedic Indian religions insisted on sharply demarcated theological boundaries. They defined themselves each in terms of superior access to divine grace and salvation.This state of affairs was to change radically from the late eighteenth century on, when Hinduism came to be used as a collective term for the non-Muslim religious formations in the subcontinent. Colonial legislation, including the census, transformations in historiography as also the performative traditions contributed to the nationalization and unification of monolithic notions of Hinduism. The politicization of Hinduism in contemporary times forms the concern of the last section. It discusses the creation of the other and analyses gendered aspects in the formation of modern Hindu political discourse.Vasudha Dalmia in a comprehensive introduction locates these essays as part of an engagement in understanding the processes moulding modern Hinduism.With its contemporary relevance and broad range of perspectives, the volume will attract a wide readership including students and scholars of anthropology, history, philosophy, politics, religion, sociology, and the interested general reader. About Author : Vasudha Dalmia taught for many years at the University of Tuebingen before joining the University of California, Berkeley where she is presently Professor of Hindi and Modern South Asian Studies. She has researched and published widely on Hinduism, and medieval and modern Hindi literature. She is the author of the Nationalization of Hindu Traditions: Bharatendu Harischandra and Nineteenth Century Banaras (1997) and Poetics, Plays and Performances: The Politics of Modern Indian Theatre (2006).Heinrich von Stietencron is Professor Emeritus of Indology and Comparative History of Religion (1973-98) at the University of Tuebingen. He has done extensive work on the religious traditions of Orissa. He is chief editor of the annotated Epic and Puranic Bibliography (1992) and the author of numerous works, most recently of Hindu Myth, Hindu History: Religion, Art, and Politics (2005). He was awarded the Padma Shree in 2004. Contents : IntroductionVasudha DalmiaPart I - Historical PerspectivesPart II - The Changing Faces of Religious AuthorityPart III - Law, History, and the Nationalization of HinduismPart IV - The Category 'Hindu' in Political DiscourseList of Contributors