The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Philosophy and Gender

by Howard, Veena; Ram-Prasad, Chakravarthi; Tan, Sor-hoon

• ISBN13: 9781474269582
• ISBN10: 1474269583
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2017-10-05
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

Gender and feminist theories may be a major part of Western academic discourse, but their engagement in the Indian philosophical context has remained glaringly absent. The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Philosophy and Gender presents a definitive overview of the field, exploring a variety of texts and traditions from Indian philosophy where the treatment of gender is dynamic and diverse.

By addressing questions such as 'How do gender constructions transform religious experiences?' 'What is the role of bodily materiality in ethics and epistemology?' 'How does rethinking gender and sexuality force us to reconceptualize settled ontological frameworks?' this collection provides the first authoritative research resource to Indian philosophical gender issues, examining constructions in relation to contemporary debates on sex, gender, and sexuality. Organised around three central themes - the gender dynamics of enlightenment in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions; the simple binary opposition of genders in Indian traditions; the ways in which symbolic representations of gender differ from social realities in Hindu and Buddhist practice – a team of respected scholars discuss feminist readings, examinations of femininity and masculinity, as well as queer and trans identities, representations, and theories.

Beginning with the Vedic tradition and ending with sections on Sri Ramakrishna and Gandhi, this wide-ranging handbook encourages fresh inquiry into classic philosophical questions. Offering critical analyses relevant to literary, cultural and religious studies, The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Philosophy and Gender opens up new ways of understanding gender and South Asian philosophy.

Table of Contents

Series Editors' Preface
Notes on Contributors
Introduction
1. Issues in Gender and Scholarship in the Early Vedic Texts, T. S. Rukmani, Chair in Hindu Studies, University of Montreal, Canada
2. The Ontology and Epistemology of Difference in Hindu Thought, Ruth Vanita, Professor of Liberal Studies, University of Montana, USA
3. Rethinking Issues in stridharma and the Female Subjectivity in the Narrative of Amba in the Mahabharata, Veena Howard, Assistant Professor of Asian Religions, California State University, USA
4. Women's Subjectivity in Manusmriti: Some Conceptual Clarifications, Sushumna Kanan, Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS), Bangalore, India
5. Gender and Sex As Constructed in Jainism: Philosophical Analysis, Kamini Gogri, Lecturer, University of Mumbai, India
6. Prakrti, Cudala, Parvati, and the Construct of Feminine Power, Christopher Key Chapple, Navin and Pratima Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology, Loyola Marymount University, USA
7. Gender and Gendered Symbolisms in Vajrayana Buddhism, Rita M. Gross, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Studies in Religion at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, USA
8. Ardhanarisvara or “The Lord of Dance Who is Half-Woman”: Performative Liberation and Divine Androgeny in Kashmir Saivism
Geoff Ashton, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Colorado, USA
9. Gender and the Kularnava Tantra
June McDaniel, Professor of Religious Studies, College of Charleston, USA
10. Gender in Pali Buddhist Traditions
Carol S. Anderson, Chair of the Department of Religion, Kalamazoo College, USA
11. The Gendering of Voice in Devotional Hinduism
Nancy Martin, Associate Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, Chapman University, USA
12. Analyzing Gender in Gurucaritra in the light of the concept of guruk?
Mugdha Yeolekar, Professor in Religious Studies, Arizona State University, USA
13. Gender in the Tradition of Sri Ramakrishna
Jeffery D. Long, Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College, USA
14. The Alchemy of Suffering: Sita and the Ideal Feminine in Gandhi's Works
Neelima Shukla-Bhatt, Associate Professor of South Asia Studies, Wellesley College, USA
Index