Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Davis on Commercial Law in Medieval India

Donald R. Davis, University of Texas at Austin, has published The Dharma of Business: Commercial Law in Medieval India with Penguin. From the press:
The Dharma of BusinessBusiness law in medieval and early modern India developed within the voluminous and multifaceted texts called the Dharmashastras. These texts laid down rules for merchants, traders, guilds, farmers, and individuals in terms of the complex religious, legal, and moral ideal of dharma. This exciting book provides a new perspective on commercial law in this period. In addition to a description of the substantive rules for business, the book reinterprets the role of business and commerce within the law generally and demonstrates that modern assumptions about good business practice could benefit from the insights of this ancient tradition. It thus makes a compelling case for the relevance of the dharma of business to our own time.
 Here's the Table of Contents:
  • 1: How to Read a Dharmasastra
  • 2: Business Law in Context
  • 3: Relationships as the Foundation of Commerce
  • 4: Why Government is Necessary for Business
  • 5. Virtue in Business
Further information is available here.