Because It Gives Me Peace of Mind: Ritual Fasts in the Religious Lives of Hindu Women (Mcgill Studies in the History of Religions) - Couverture souple

Pearson, Anne Mackenzie

 
9780791430385: Because It Gives Me Peace of Mind: Ritual Fasts in the Religious Lives of Hindu Women (Mcgill Studies in the History of Religions)
Couverture souple
ISBN 10 : 0791430383 ISBN 13 : 9780791430385
Editeur : State University of New York Press, 1996

Synopsis

Explores the history and nature of vrats (ritual fasts) in text and practice, and the roles these rites play in the lives of Hindu women in North India.

This is the first book-length study that explores the history and nature of vratsotive fasting rites--the role these rites play in the religious lives of Hindu women in North India, and the meanings these women attribute to them. By placing vrats within the context of various Hindu religious categories such as concepts of time; types of religious activities; goals; notions of purity and pollution; auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, the book demonstrates how the concept of vrat provides a lens to the Hindu worldview. Accordingly, it offers insight into the nature of Hindu popular religion in general and women's religion in particular.

Drawing extensively on the personal narratives of individual women, this study subtly corrects the prevailing view that all women observe vrats solely for the benefit of others. The author shows that Hindu women's sense of duty and obligation to ensure the well-being of their families through the performance of vrats explains only part of the appeal of these rites. The data demonstrate that women also perform vrats for the social, physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits. Not only do vrats provide an avenue for the expression of profound spiritual yearnings, but some women use vrats as a way to gain a measure of control over their own lives, a source of empowerment in an environment in which women frequently lack control and self-determination.

Les informations fournies dans la section « Synopsis » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

À propos de l?auteur

Anne Mackenzie Pearson is a part-time instructor at both McMaster University and Wilfrid Laurier University.

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Éditeur
State University of New York Press
Date d'édition
1996
Langue
anglais
ISBN 10 
0791430383
ISBN 13 
9780791430385
Reliure
Broché
Nombre de pages
352
Coordonnées du fabricant
non disponible
Personne responsable
gpsr@libri.de
gpsr@libri.de

Friedensallee 273
Hamburg
22763
Allemagne

Autres éditions populaires du même titre

9780791430378: Because It Gives Me Peace of Mind: Ritual Fasts in the Religious Lives of Hindu Women

Edition présentée

ISBN 10 :  0791430375 ISBN 13 :  9780791430378
Editeur : State University of New York Press, 1996
Couverture rigide