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:
Business 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.
