THE ASSEMBLY OF LISTENERS: JAINS IN SOCIETY. by Carrithers, Michael & Humphrey, Caroline, editors. (Mukund Lath, K.R. Norman, Josephine Reynell, Christine M. Cottam Ellis, J. Howard M. Jones, N.K. Singhi, Paul Dunas, Padmanabh Jaini, Vilas Sangave, Marcus Banks, Michael Carithers, Caroline Humph - 1991

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. 328 pp, large 8vo (9 3/16" H). B&w photographs, map. "Although the Jains have exerted an influence on Indian society and religion out of proportion to their relatively small numbers, they have received very little attention from scholars until the last few years. (This) is the first book to analyse the sociology of the Jains, and to discuss the notion of the 'community' based on religious affiliation in India. The contributors include sociologists, anthropologists, scholars of Indian classical religions and languages, each addressing, as a central organising principle, the conception of the Jains as a community. (It) represents an important theoretical addition to existing studies, which have hitherto focussed mainly on caste and class politics as the fundamental units of Indian society, and provides unique ethnographic information on the Jains, derived from recent fieldwork." Minor wrinkling at top of spine. Dust jacket has very light edge wrinkling - mainly along top edge.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Very Good+.