Beyond Hindu and Muslim

"Hindu India. Muslim India. India has long been depicted as a nation divided into two inherently antagonistic and mutually exclusive communities that live in uneasy, sometimes violent, tension. Beyond Hindu and Muslim challenges these assumptions with an examination of the multiple identities held by the residents of a group of villages in north India. Instead of focusing on one religious community to the exclusion of the other or concentrating only on the conflict between the two, Peter Gottschalk examines the complex interactions that tie individuals not just to one group but to many. Residents identify with groups whose membership cuts across religious boundaries, including associations based on family, neighborhood, village, and nation, as well as gender, class, caste, and language. In this way, these residents should not be described as simply Hindus and Muslims because they are also neighbors, classmates, teammates, rivals, friends, and fellow devotees."--Jacket.