ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter situates the recent debates on MPL, UCC and legal pluralism in an informed academic context. Highlighting the unsettling nature of MPL as a sociological phenomenon, this chapter traces the historical origin of this legal mechanism and its subsequent political manifestations. It is argued that that although MPL is inextricably linked to Sharia – the Islamic jurisprudence – it does not determine the everyday life of Muslim communities in India. To offer a thematic coherence to the varied explorations, the chapter explores three broad areas: Muslim sociological diversity and the debates on MPL/UCC, politics of MPL and the UCC and the gender justice and forms of Islamic reforms.
