Author: Meena Khandelwal
Several Contributors/
Translator(s)/ Edito: Meena/Sondra L. Hausner / Ann Grodzins Gold
Publisher: Kali/Zubaan
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 375
ISBN/UPC (if available): 9788189884345
Description
Vividly showcasing new ethnographic research on extraordinary South Asian women who have abandoned worldly life for spiritual pursuits, the contributors to this collection offer feminist insights into Jain, Buddhist, Hindu, Baul, and Bon ascetic traditions. With intimate narratives documenting contemporary women’s experiences, the book explores the lives of women who have renounced involvements such as sex, financial security, kin, and the pursuit of beauty, in favour of higher spiritual ideals.
The authors consider the hardships endured by women and warn against any easy romanticization of their lives. At the same time, the book offers a refreshing antidote to the relentless image of South Asian women as dependent on male kin and defined by their sexual and procreative roles.
REVIEW:
“This book provides a series of fascinating, lively ethnographic studies of South Asian women who reject the normative roles of wife and mother – and then sometimes conform to them after all. Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Muslim, living in north India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, these women attempt to transcend their roles, their sexuality, or even their bodily existence. Their very different, very individual lives represent a much more varied array of possibilities for South Asian women than almost anyone has been aware of. The book will be a wonderful source for courses on south Asian culture, gender studies, and religious studies, as well as for anyone who simply wants to think about the many different ways in which human beings can live.’
-Anne Feeldhous
Foundation professor of Religious studies, Arizona State University
Contents
List of illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Women on Their Own
Sondra l. Hausner and Meena Khandelwal
PORTRAITS OF SINGULAR WOMEN:
Do Saints Need Sleep? Baiji’s Renunciation
As Service
Meena Khandelwal
Living practical Dharma: A Tribute to
Chomo Khandru and the Bonpo women of
Lubra Village, Mustang, Nepal
Sara Shneiderman
The True River Ganges: Tara’s Begging Practices
Kristin Hanssen
Staying in Place: The Social Actions of Radha Girie
Sondra L. Hausner
LANDSCAPES OF CONTEMPORARY TRADITIONS:
Passionate Renouncers: Hindu Nationalist
Renouncers and the Politics of Hindutva
Kalyani Devaki Menon
How Buddhist Renunciation Produces Difference
Kim Gutschow
Renouncing Expectations: Single Baul women
Renouncers and the Value of Being a Wife
Lisa I. Knight
These hands Are Not For Henna
Anne Vallely
Afterword: Breaking Away...
Ann Grodzins gold
Glossary
Notes on contributors
Index