Overview

The traditional religions of the remote tribes along the northern borderlands between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with their complex cosmology of gods and demons, preserved elements from archaic Indo-Aryan, and possibly even pre-Vedic, beliefs. While these regions were converted to Islam by the early 20th century, the deeply conservative nature and isolation of these tribes have combined to perpetuate, often in coexistence with Islam, ancient religious practices long extinct elsewhere in Asia. The author, a renowned Austrian anthropologist, integrates the diverse scholarly studies of colleagues in the fields of linguistics, cultural history and archaeology with his own field investigations to construct an authoritative account of the religious practices of this remote, still poorly understood corner of Asia.A groundbreaking and indispensable reference both for the general student of Asian religions and for specialists focussed on the tribal cultures of eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province.

Full Product Details

9781778252211

Table of Contents

Reviews

...future scholars of this region must take Jettmar as their indispensible guide and point of departure. Peter Parkes, Man, New Series, Vol. 22, No. 3. It may safely be assumed that this study will not be replaced as a standard work of reference. Per Kvaerne, Journal of the Tibet Society. Vol. 6.

Author Information

Professor Dr. Karl Jettmar (1918-2002) was born in Vienna, Austria - his interest in ethnographic and prehistoric art can be traced back to the influence of his father, a well known artist. During WWII, Jettmar was conscripted into the army and was soon heavily wounded. Thus he got a leave to complete his PhD at the University of Vienna. Beginning in 1955 he conducted semi-annual ethnographical and archeological fieldwork in Northwest Pakistan and Afghanistan for some 20 years, sponsored by the German Research Foundation. His research focussed on the pre-Buddhist and pre-Islamic religions and arts of these areas, which were also the main themes of his six major books and numerous articles. In 1958 Jettmar became associate professor in Vienna, and three years later was appointed to the Department of Anthropology at the University of Mainz. In 1964 he became head of the Department of Cultural and Social Anthropology at the South Asia Institute, the University of Heidelberg. Jettmar retired in 1983 and authored further publications in his remaining decades on the indigenous religions, art and prehistory of Central Asia.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available