Woman and Goddess in Hinduism - by T Pintchman & R Sherma (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The essays in this volume offer multiple interpretations of Hindu understandings of the Feminine, both human and divine, that self-consciously encourage theological revision and gender activism. All of the contributors are faithful to traditional Hindu categories, texts, and ways of thinking, but they creatively appropriate the materials they examine in ways that are affirming of the feminine and, in many cases, explicitly empowering to women. In offering multiple constructive explorations of the Hindu Feminine--some with, and others without the framework of a confessional stance--this book challenges normative conceptions of the emic/etic chasm and its expected impact on scholarship"--

Book Synopsis

Offering multilayered explorations of Hindu understandings of the Feminine, both human and divine, this book emphasizes theological and activist methods and aims over historical, anthropological, and literary ones.

Review Quotes

"The role of the female within the Hindu tradition is both varied and vigorous, as the multiple contributors to this text reveal. They bring together scholarship and sensitivity in conveying unique dimensions and valuable perceptions of that role.This book is an important read for anyone seeking to comprehend female spirituality and divinity in the Hindu context." - Ramdas Lamb, Associate Professor of Religion, University of Hawaii at Manoa"The essays in this outstanding volume successfully avoid the common pitfalls of, on the one hand, objectifying and exoticizing the various Hindu categories and concepts with which they engage, and on the other, of deploying these same categories and concepts in a simplistic and uncritical manner. The hermeneutics of intersubjectivity that the authors skillfully apply to their materials should be a model for future work in the field of Hindu studies." - Jeffery D. Long, Associate Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College, and author of A Vision for Hinduism: Beyond Hindu Nationalism and Jainism: An Introduction"This book skillfully addresses all things feminine in Indian traditions: goddesses, female gurus, the lives of Hindu women, and more.Includes many excellent new translations of key passages from Sanskrit litereature." - Christopher Key Chapple, Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology, Loyola Marymount University

About the Author

TRACY PINTCHMAN is a Professor and Director of the International Studies Program at Loyola University Chicago, USA.

RITA SHARMA is Director of the Institute For Theology Beyond Boundaries and Executive Director of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Taksha Institute, Hampton, USA.