Nuns, Yoginis, Saints And Singers: Women's Renunciation In South Asia (zubaan)

VFividly showcasing new ethnographic research on extraordinary South Asian women who have abandoned wordly 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 womken's experienes, contributors explore the lives of women who have renounced involvements such as sex, financial security, kin, and the pursuit of beauty, in favour of higher religious and spiritual ideals. The authors consider the hardships endured by women committed to religous paths more commonly taken by men and warn against any easy romanticization of these women's lives.
About Author :
Meena Khandelwal is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Women's Studies at the University of lowa. She is the author of Women in Ochre Robes: Gendering Hindu Renunciation. Sondra L. Hausner is a Lecturer in Anthropology at Oxford. Her book Wandering in Place: The Social World of Hindu Renunciation won the 2004 Joseph W. Elder Prize in the Indian Social Sciences from the American Institute of Indian Studies.
Contents :
List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Women on Their Own POTRAITS OF SINGULAR WOMEN Do Saints Need Sleep? Baiji's Renunciation as Service Living Practical Dharma: A Tribute to Chomo Khandru and the Bonpo Women of Lubra Village, Mustang, Nepal The True River Ganges; Tara's Begging Practices Staying in Place: The Social Action of Radha Giri LANDSCAPES OF CONTEMPORARY TRADITIONS Passionate Renouncers: Hindu Nationalist Renouncers and the Politics of Hindutva How Buddhist Renunciation Produces Difference REnouncing Expectations: Single Baul Women Renouncers and the Value of Being a Wife These Hands are Not for Henna Afteword: Breaking Away... Glossary Notes on Contributors Index