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Women in the Hindu World encourages readers to develop and nurture their own understanding of the life of a woman as a Hindu. The seven chapters proceed both historically and thematically, exploring abstract philosophical concepts about women, as well as concrete worldly conditions of the lives they lead, from the earliest stages of Hindu society to the present, marking through time the evolving religious roles and social status of women.
Hindu women have consistently found in their faith resources for claiming selfhood both within their faith and in society. Within the home, women are the keepers of the family's religious rites. Outside the home, they worship through poetry, painting, dance, and music. Like their peers around the world, modern Hindu women have fought and worked together to claim decisive roles in shaping their own lives, while maintaining their faith and culture.
Women in the Hindu World explores and explains the place of women in Hinduism, and the impact of Hinduism on women's roles in society.
EXPERT ANALYSIS: Author Mandakranta Bose is Professor Emerita and former Director of the Centre for India and South Asia Research at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, where she also has taught courses in religious and gender studies.
SUPPLEMENTAL STUDY: Women in the Hindu World provides a breadth of educational knowledge as a supplement to both academic coursework and the independent study of Hinduism. With the integration of discussion questions, suggested further reading, and images throughout, Women in the Hindu World offers an accessible introduction to exploring the connection between womanhood and Hinduism.
EXPLORE THE SERIES: Women in the Hindu World joins the collection of academic texts produced by the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. Expand your understanding of the many facets of Hinduism with other books in the series, including: The Hindu Temple and Its Sacred Landscape and The Bhagavad G¿t¿: A New Translation and Study Guide.
About the author
Mandakranta Bose, Emeritus Professor at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, is a former director of the university’s Centre for India and South Asia Research, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain, and the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. A Sanskrit scholar, Professor Bose is an alumnus of Calcutta University, the University of British Columbia, and Oxford University, with a D. Phil. degree in Sanskrit from Oxford. Among her many books and articles on the Hindu religion, Sanskrit literature, epics of India, classical dance and drama, gender issues, are:
The Goddess (Oxford, 2018),
The Ramayana in Bengali Folk Paintings (New Delhi, 2017), and "Theology, Sexuality and Gender in the Hindu Tradition" (
Oxford Handbook of Theology, Gender and Sexuality, 2015).
Summary
Women in the Hindu World explores the role of womanhood in Hindu religious culture and how the faith influences women’s social experiences.
