Gendered Agency in Transcultural Hinduism and Buddhism

Focusing on complex entanglements of religion and gender from a diversity of perspectives, this book explores how women enact agencies in transcultural Hindu and Buddhist settings.

List of contents

1. From Matriarch to Divine Mother: Caste, Gender, and Deification in Hagiographies of Sat¿m¿ 2. Biographies of Enhanced Agency and Self-Made Gurus: From Housewives into Founders of Guru-Bhakti Communities 3. Women's Ritual Expression and Religious Agency: Om ¿akti Communicating Innovation in Contemporary Hinduism 4. Forgotten Priestesses: A 'witch,' a Queen and a Ritual Stew 5. Women Sharing Bhakti, Women Singing Devotion: Friends, Teachers, and Leaders in the Hindu Diaspora 6. Reinventing Selves: Religiosity and Female Agency in the Siri Tradition of Tulunad in India 7. Yoga's Red Tent: Menstrual-Oriented Iyengar Yoga Practices 8. Womanhood and Female Agency in Bengali Vaishnava Sahajiya Tradition 9. Encountering in a New Phase: Monastic Education for Buddhist Nuns in Sri Lanka 10. Against Marginality, Inequality, and Dependency: Remarkable Buddhist Nuns in Sikkim 11. Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation 12. The Changing Attitudes Towards Female Priesthood in Hinduism: Insights from Pune, Southern India 13. Beyond Boundaries: A Modern Buddhist Nun's Journey Towards Enlightenment 14. Luminous Insight: An Interview with Ayy¿ Tath¿lok¿ from Dhammadharini Monastery (USA)

About the author

Ute Hüsken is Professor and Head of the Department of Cultural and Religious History of South Asia (Classical Indology) in the South Asia Institute at Heidelberg University, Germany.
Agi Wittich holds a PhD in Comparative Religions from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
Nanette R. Spina is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Georgia, USA.

Product details

• Authors: Ute Wittich Husken
• Assisted by: Ute Hüsken (Editor), Spina Nanette R. (Editor), Agi Wittich (Editor)
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 27.10.2025
• EAN: 9781032573090
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3257309-0
• No. of pages: 292
• Series: Routledge Critical Studies in Religion, Gender and Sexuality
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Miscellaneous; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > Geography; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; RELIGION / Buddhism / General, Anthropology, RELIGION / Hinduism / General, RELIGION / Sexuality & Gender Studies, Buddhism, Religion: general, Hinduism, Regional Studies, Regional / International studies, Gender studies, gender groups, Indian sub-continent