Women and the Puranic Tradition in India

1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-138-28641-2
Verlag: Routledge India

Buch, Englisch, 306 Seiten, Format (B × H): 145 mm x 222 mm, Gewicht: 521 g

This book analyses the diverse ways in which women have been represented in the Puranic traditions in ancient India — the virtuous wife, mother, daughter, widow, and prostitute — against the socio-religious milieu around CE 300–1000.

Puranas (lit. ancient narratives) are Brahmanical texts that largely fall under the category of socio-religious literature which were more broad-based and inclusive, unlike the Smritis which were accessible mainly to the upper sections of society. In locating, identifying and commenting on the multiplicity of the images and depictions of women’s roles in Puranic traditions, the author highlights their lives and experiences over time, both within and outside the traditional confines of the domestic sphere.

With a focus on five Mahapuranas that deal extensively with the social matrix (Vishnu, Markandeya, Matsya, Agni and Bhagavata Puranas), the book explores the question of gender and agency in early India and shows how such identities were recast, invented, shaped, constructed, replicated, stereotyped, and sometimes reversed through narratives. Further, it traces social consequences and contemporary relevance of such representations in marriage, adultery, ritual, devotion, worship, fasts, and pilgrimage.

This volume will be of interest to researchers and scholars in women and gender studies, ancient Indian history, religion, sociology, literature and South Asian studies, as also the informed general reader.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Saxena, Monika

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Gender Studies, Geschlechtersoziologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Asiatische Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Religionssoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Abbreviations. Notes on Transliteration. Notes on Primary Texts. Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction. Chapter I: The Shaping of the Puranic Narrative and Gender Chapter II: Women’s Identity and Puranic Patriarchy Chapter III: Women Outside the Family Circle: Not Bound, Not Free Chapter IV: Vratas, Rituals, and the Puranic Social Hierarchy. Some Parting Thoughts. Appendix: A Brief Note on the Puranic Scholarship. Glossary. Bibliography. Index

Über Autor(innen)

Monika Saxena is an associate professor of history at the University of Delhi, India. She has been associated with undergraduate and postgraduate teaching at the university. Her research focuses on the roles and representations of women in early India. Some of her important works are "Ganikas in Early India: A Socio-Economic Perspective" and "Temple Girls in Early Medieval North India: A Study in Gender Relations." She has contributed in journals and has participated in conferences and workshops.