The Feminine Sacred in South Asia
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The Feminine Sacred in South Asia by Harald Tambs-Lyche
South Asia is the only major region where the 'Great Goddess' is still a living reality for believers yet its society remains male-dominated. Drawing their examples from ritual practices, myths, and sacred texts the contributors to this volume discuss the place of the feminine within the sacred sphere of South Asian religion. The theme is full of contradictions, for the impurity of woman must be held against the powers she incarnates, and the religious status of these powers is an old theme of debate among Hindu and Buddhist thinkers. Finally, the feminine pole in religious thought cannot simply be equated with human womanhood - yet the very presence of feminity in the sacred sphere contrasts with its exclusion from scriptural Islam or from protestantism, and offers, perhaps, to women, a mode of religious expression in an idiom where?gender?is?a?central?paradigm?of?thought.This volume then, contributing to the debate on feminity in South Asian religion, should also be of interest to scholars dealing with gender in?a?broader?perspective.
Harald Tambs-Lyche studied at the University of Bergen, Norway and at SOAS, London. Following work on the Indian diaspora (London Patidars, 1980) he worked extensively on religion and society in Saurashtra, Gujarat (Power, Profit and Poetry, 1997; The Good Country, 2004).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9788173042461 |
| ISBN 10 | 8173042462 |
| Title | The Feminine Sacred in South Asia |
| Author | Harald Tambs-Lyche |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Manohar Publishers and Distributors |
| Year published | 2024-01-15 |
| Number of pages | 147 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |