The influence of Christianity on 'the history of violence' is often exemplified by famous instances of interfaith conflict, like 'The Crusades'. However, as religions develop, they usually marginalize violence against fellow believers long before they ever, if at all, question violence against 'others'. Through an investigation of spiritual and legal sources, this book details how Christian teachings about charity, sin and purity problematized late medieval parishioners' use of violence, and how parishioners actually tried to reconcile these teachings with cultural norms that often honored violent conduct. By illuminating the impact of lessons concerning the sinfulness of violence and piety of self-restraint, this book provides a fresh perspective on the important role of religion in the 'civilizing process' of European history.

India is facing a river pollution crisis today. The origins of this crisis are commonly traced back to post-Independence economic development and urbanisation. This book, in contrast, shows that some important early roots of India’s river pollution problem, and in particular the pollution of the Ganges, lie with British colonial policies on wastewater disposal during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Analysing the two cornerstones of colonial river pollution history during the late 19th and early 20th centuries – the introduction of sewerage systems and the introduction of biological sewage treatment technologies in cities along the Ganges – the author examines different controversies around the proposed and actual discharge of untreated/treated sewage into the Ganges, which involved officials on different administrative levels as well as the Indian public. The analysis shows that the colonial state essentially ignored the problematic aspects of sewage disposal into rivers, which were clearly evident from European experience. Guided by colonial ideology and fiscal policy, colonial officials supported the introduction of the cheapest available sewerage technologies, which were technologies causing extensive pollution. Thus, policies on sewage disposal into the Ganges and other Indian rivers took on a definite shape around the turn of the 20th century, and acquired certain enduring features that were to exert great negative influence on the future development of river pollution in India. A well-researched study on colonial river pollution history, this book presents an innovative contribution to South Asian environmental history. It is of interest to scholars working on colonial, South Asian and environmental history, and the colonial history of public health, science and technology.

"Very few scholars in religious studies have achieved Haberman's combination of textual and ethnographic authority. The book is groundbreaking, building on his achievements in the study of the religious traditions of Braj; he is widely regarded as a major authority on this area of Hinduism's complex regional matrix. The superior scholarship, combined with the author's personal voice, gives the book additional resonance, bringing to light an urgent environmental and moral challenge."—Paul B. Courtright, co-editor, From the Margins of Hindu Marriage: Essays in Gender, Religion, and Culture

Purity and Danger is acknowledged as a modern masterpiece of anthropology. It is widely cited in non-anthropological works and gave rise to a body of application, rebuttal and development within anthropology. In 1995 the book was included among the Times Literary Supplement's hundred most influential non-fiction works since WWII. Incorporating the philosophy of religion and science and a generally holistic approach to classification, Douglas demonstrates the relevance of anthropological enquiries to an audience outside her immediate academic circle. She offers an approach to understanding rules of purity by examining what is considered unclean in various cultures. She sheds light on the symbolism of what is considered clean and dirty in relation to order in secular and religious, modern and primitive life.

The influence of Christianity on 'the history of violence' is often exemplified by famous instances of interfaith conflict, like 'The Crusades'. However, as religions develop, they usually marginalize violence against fellow believers long before they ever, if at all, question violence against 'others'. Through an investigation of spiritual and legal sources, this book details how Christian teachings about charity, sin and purity problematized late medieval parishioners' use of violence, and how parishioners actually tried to reconcile these teachings with cultural norms that often honored violent conduct. By illuminating the impact of lessons concerning the sinfulness of violence and piety of self-restraint, this book provides a fresh perspective on the important role of religion in the 'civilizing process' of European history.