The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Philosophy and Gender

Description

'How do gender constructions transform religious experiences?' 'What is the role of bodily materiality in ethics and epistemology?' 'How does rethinking gender and sexuality force us to reconceptualise settled ontological frameworks?' This collection provides the first research resource to Indian philosophical gender issues, exploring a variety of texts and traditions from Indian philosophy where the treatment of gender is dynamic and diverse. Organised around three central themes - the gender dynamics of enlightenment in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions; the simple binary opposition of genders in Indian traditions; the ways in which symbolic representations of gender differ from social realities in Hindu and Buddhist practice - a team of respected scholars discuss feminist readings, examinations of femininity and masculinity, as well as queer and trans identities, representations, and theories. Beginning with the Vedic tradition and ending with sections on Sri Ramakrishna and Gandhi, this wide-ranging handbook encourages fresh inquiry into classic philosophical questions. Offering critical analyses relevant to literary, cultural and religious studies, The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Philosophy and Gender opens up new ways of understanding gender and South Asian philosophy.

Veena R. Howard is Associate Professor of Asian Religions at California State University, Fresno, USA.

This important collection provides a guide to how gender and sexuality appear sometimes as mere binaries, other times as fluid mysteries and rich multiplicities, in Indian thought. Drawing on a wide range of ancient and modern texts, the essays offer an exciting lens for exploring the classic questions of how to live, what is the self, and where transcendence might be found. * Cynthia Willett, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Philosophy, Emory University, USA *