{"product_id":"sati-the-blessing-and-the-curse-book-john-stratton-hawley-9780195077742","title":"Sati, the Blessing and the Curse","description":"Several years ago in Rajasthan, an eighteen-year-old woman was burned on her husband's funeral pyre and thus became sati. Before ascending the pyre, she was expected to deliver both blessings and curses: blessings to guard her family and clan for many generations, and curses to prevent anyone from thwarting her desire to die. Sati also means blessing and curse in a broader sense. To those who revere it, sati symbolizes ultimate loyalty and self-sacrifice. It often figures near the core of a Hindu identity that feels embattled in a modern world. Yet to those who deplore it, sati is a curse, a violation of every woman's womanhood. It is murder mystified, and as such, the symbol of precisely what Hinduism should not be. In this volume a group of leading scholars consider the many meanings of sati: in India and the West; in literature, art, and opera; in religion, psychology, economics, and politics. With contributors who are both Indian and American, this is a genuinely binational, postcolonial discussion. Contributors include Karen Brown, Paul Courtright, Vidya Dehejia, Ainslie Embree, Dorothy Figueira, Lindsey Harlan, John Hawley, Robin Lewis, Ashis Nandy, and Veena Talwar Oldenburg.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50310465323281,"sku":"GOR006814427","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52336660709649,"sku":"NLS9780195077742","price":54.39,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0195077741.jpg?v=1751443968","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/sati-the-blessing-and-the-curse-book-john-stratton-hawley-9780195077742","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}