Women's Renunciation in South Asia Nuns,

This volume brings together new ethnographic research on South Asian women who have abandoned worldly life for spiritual pursuits. All have renounced some combination of the following: marriage, sex, procreation, kin, financial security, concern with beauty, and sensual pleasures. Documenting contemporary women's experiences with intimate ethnographic narratives, this book offers feminist insights into Jain, Buddhist, Hindu, and Baul ascetic traditions. This collection also considers the hardships endured by women committed to religious paths more commonly taken by men and offers a refreshing antidote to the relentless image of South Asian women as dependent on male kin and defined by their sexual and procreative roles.

Meena Khandelwal is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Women’s Studies, University of Iowa. Sondra L. Hausner is an anthropologist based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Ann Grodzins Gold is Professor of Religion and Anthropology and Director of the South Asia Center, Syracuse University.

Introduction: Grounding Renunciation in the Lives of Real Women * Part I: 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 Actions of Radha Giri * Part II: Landscapes of Contemporary Traditions * Passionate Renouncers: Hindu Nationalist Renouncers and the Politics of Hindutv * Renunciation and Reciprocity: How Nuns and Monks Rely on Their Kin * Renouncing Expectations: Single Baul Women Renouncers and the Value of Being a Wife * These Hands Are Not for Henna * Afterword: Breaking Away

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Women's Renunciation in South Asia Nuns, Yoginis, Saints, and Singers

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials