Religion and Its Publics in South Asia

Abstract This introduction to the special section of the issue outlines the genesis of the section, provides a brief history of publics and counterpublics in South Asian contexts, and highlights key themes and questions that the section covers. It discusses its contributions, how they trouble the concept of the South Asian public, and the new vistas of inquiry that the section invites. It also presents a survey of relevant literature on South Asian publics to situate the special section in the context of existing scholarly work on religion and publics as well as the specific affordances and aspects that shape how we understand the concept of the public within South Asian spaces. The introduction also describes each article in the section and concludes with a discussion what the special section may tell us about the possible futures of religion and its publics in South Asia, the value and scope of theorizing publics within South Asia, and future areas of inquiry that could prove productive in building on the themes, issues, and concerns raised here.