That’s what She Said: Sita in the Lives and Imaginations of Hindu Women: Choice, Ideals and the Oral Tradition.

Sita, the wife of Rama and the heroine of the Hindu epic narrative, the Ramayana, is described as the ideal wife of the Hindu tradition. Terms like demure, loyal, modest, pure, chaste, and devoted are used to depict the woman who typifies the pativrata (perfect wife). Putting aside what the tradition itself says about how Sita should be interpreted, this thesis asks how women of the tradition interpret Sita. By looking at women’s oral tradition about Sita and through interviews with six women from the Hindu tradition, a more nuanced depiction of the ideal wife emerges. This thesis has taken from the responses of women who participated in my study two major themes: the influence of the oral tradition on women’s interpretation of Sita, and concerns over Sita’s apparent lack of choice throughout her life. Emerging from these subjects are questions and discussion pertaining to whether Sita’s ideal character makes her a role model. The prevailing sentiments of the women in this study are that Sita is an ideal of the tradition, but her apparent lack of choice in life tempers her impact as role model for women. This thesis contributes to a small but important field of study on interpretation of Sita specifically, and women in the Hindu tradition more generally. This thesis would also be useful to those interested in religion, women in religion, Ramayana studies, diaspora studies, oral traditions, and feminist analysis

Sensitive Reading

What are the pleasures of reading translations of South Asian literature, and what does it take to enjoy a translated text? This volume provides opportunities to explore such questions by bringing together a whole set of new translations by David Shulman, noted scholar of South Asia. The translated selections come from a variety of Indian languages, genres, and periods, from the classical to the contemporary. The translations are accompanied by short essays written to help readers engage and enjoy them. Some of these essays provide background to enhance reading of the translation, whereas others model how to expand appreciation in comparative and broader ways. Together, the translations and the accompanying essays form an essential guide for people interested in literature and art from South Asia. “The scholarly interpretations and commentary in this volume represent some of the most prominent voices in the philological and historical study of South Asia—a galaxy of experts in literary analysis and other subfields of South Asian cultural history. This volume beautifully illuminates the generative possibilities of the intimate, context-sensitive mode of reading that David Shulman has engaged in for decades.” DAVESH SONEJI, Department of South Asia Studies, University of Pennsylvani

Sensitive Reading

What are the pleasures of reading translations of South Asian literature, and what does it take to enjoy a translated text? This volume provides opportunities to explore such questions by bringing together a whole set of new translations by David Shulman, noted scholar of South Asia. The translated selections come from a variety of Indian languages, genres, and periods, from the classical to the contemporary. The translations are accompanied by short essays written to help readers engage and enjoy them. Some of these essays provide background to enhance reading of the translation, whereas others model how to expand appreciation in comparative and broader ways. Together, the translations and the accompanying essays form an essential guide for people interested in literature and art from South Asia. “The scholarly interpretations and commentary in this volume represent some of the most prominent voices in the philological and historical study of South Asia—a galaxy of experts in literary analysis and other subfields of South Asian cultural history. This volume beautifully illuminates the generative possibilities of the intimate, context-sensitive mode of reading that David Shulman has engaged in for decades.” DAVESH SONEJI, Department of South Asia Studies, University of Pennsylvani

The Sounds of Satyagraha: Mahatma Gandhi's Use of Sung-Prayers and Ritual

The Sounds of Satyagraha: Gandhi's Use of Sung-Prayers and Ritual M.K. Gandhi's work towards Indian independence was influenced significantly by sung-prayers found in a collection entitled Ashram Bhajanavali, a collection which, in turn, gives fresh insight into the satyagraha movement. Gandhi's employment of sung-prayers, chant, and ritual has, however, gone unrecognized until this time. The Sounds of Satyagraha presents detailed information concerning how formative and how important these sung-prayers were to Gandhi and to the national independence movement. Chapter One sets forth this thesis, along with methodology, historical context, and certain terms defined. Chapter Two consists of a preliminary historical overview of the Ashram Bhajanavali, along with a descriptive summary of the sung-prayer materials found within it. (An analysis of ritual practices presented in Chapters 3 through 5 also provides additional information regarding historical context and development.) This collection of chanted prayers used by the Indian sayagraha community, has sometimes been referred to as a hymnal. However, the collection is much more than what the word "hymnal" might imply, both in the scope of its contents, and in its significance as a tool with which to understand the developments of Gandhi's satyagraha community. Chapters Three, Four, and Five examine in detail how the Ashram Bhajanavali was used in ritual contexts, and how these sung-prayers supported Gandhi and the nation in its work for social change. The ritual theory of Roy Rappaport is utilized to discover the Bhajanavali's sitz im leben. Chapter 3 discusses the use of these sung-prayers in ritual prayer meetings that occurred twice daily. Chapter 4 looks at additional ways in which these songs were used by Gandhi and the satyagraha community to achieve their purposes, as the movement grew into a national initiative. Chapter 5 considers how it is that this sung-prayer repertoire, being specifically sung and chanted (rather than spoken or read), had a significant power for India and appeal for the satyagraha communities. By placing this collection in its historical, social, and ritual contexts, the extent to which these sung-prayers influenced and shaped Gandhi's sayagraha in India becomes clear. Chapter 6 considers the life and work of one spiritual musician, Shri Karunamayee Abrol, who teaches the Ashram Bhajanavali, its melodies and its history. Shri Karunamayee's family were freedom fighters, and, as a child, she sang for Mahatma Gandhi, receiving his blessing. Shri Karunamayee represents a living tradition. Inspired by childhood experiences and her respect for Gandhi, she has a special devotion to this repertoire. As a spiritual musician, she is a "tradition-bearer" of the Ashram Bhajanavali. The chanting of these sung-prayers has been her daily devotional ritual for decades. Her teaching, which stems from both musical knowledge and Æ⁄¿‰ò™ experience, provides additional insight into satyagraha. Chapter Seven concludes with a review of the evidence, illustrating the large extent to which Gandhi was guided by the sung-prayers and principles found in the Ashram Bhajanavali collection. It also consists of reflections in an analysis of the success or failure of satyagraha. Ashram Bhajanavali offers insight into the Indian independence movement, which has not been acknowledged or identified previously. Final reflections place this collection within the on-going East-West dialogue, indicating its continuing importance in the current discussion

A Drunken Bee: Sunthorn Phu And The Buddhist Landscapes Of Early Bangkok

Although Sunthorn Phu (1786-1855) is considered the ‘Shakespeare of Thailand,’ he is still relatively unknown outside of his home country and, although he spent almost twenty years as an ordained monk, is virtually never thought of as a poet who has anything to do with Buddhism. This study takes Phu’s nirat, a classical genre of Thai journeying poetry, as a new source for excavating Thai Buddhism of the early nineteenth-century. It argues that we must expand the bounds of what we consider Buddhist literature to include popular vernacular literature such as that of Sunthorn Phu. Making use of theoretical approaches to interpreting landscape such as that of Tim Ingold and Edward Casey amongst others, this study argues for understanding Phu’s poetry as a record of a particular way of seeing and engaging with the Buddhist landscape. Phu’s nirat are taken in turn to explore particular sites - cities and rivers, Buddha footprints, temples and ruins and the forest and the ocean, respectively – in order to understand how Buddhist values inhered in and were thought through via the landscape itself. Examined in this way, a poem like Phu’s Nirat to Golden Mountain Temple can be understood as a trenchant political critique which depicts early Bangkok as a Buddhist kingdom in dharmic decline. Similarly, Phu’s nirat to the forests of Suphanburi can be understood as both a poetic treatise against practices of transformation such as alchemy as well as an oblique critique of a feudal system where one’s karmic merit is largely determined at one’s birth. Studying the nirat of Sunthorn Phu gives us a window onto the Buddhism of one particular time and place. It is Buddhism as an ongoing process of living, feeling and contesting within the bounded world of the landscape of early Bangkok

Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film

This monograph departs from traditional studies of national cinema by accentuating the intercultural and intertextual links between Malaysian films and Asian (as well as European and American) film practices. Using cross-cultural analysis, the author characterizes Malaysia as a pluralist society consisting of a multiplicity of cultural identities. Malaysian film reflects this remarkable heterogeneity, particularly evident in the impact of the Indian and Hong Kong cinema. Detailed analyses of a selection of Malaysian films highlight their cultural complexities, while noting the tension between cultural inclusivity and ethnic exclusivity at the heart of this cinema.William van der Heide maakt in dit boek een vergelijking tussen de samenstelling en het karakter van de Maleisische samenleving en het karakter van de in Maleisië geproduceerde en gedistribueerde films. De auteur karakteriseert Maleisië als een pluralistische samenleving, die bestaat uit een veelvoud van culturele entiteiten. Van der Heide komt tot de slotsom dat de filmcultuur, die zowel nationaal gedistribueerde en vertoonde films als kleinschalige lokale producties omvat, in Maleisie een even heterogeen karakter bezit. Dit is in het bijzonder zichtbaar bij de impact die films uit India en Hong Kong hebben op het Maleisische publiek en de Maleisische filmmakers. Een gedetailleerde analyse van een aantal Maleisische films benadrukt de culturele complexiteit van de Maleisische samenleving. De spanning tussen cultureel saamhorigheidsgevoel en ethnische exclusiviteit ligt aan de basis van de Maleisische cinema. Het boek neemt de traditionele studies van de nationale filmindustrie als uitgangspunt en accentueert de interculturele en intertextuele overeenkomsten (relaties) tussen Maleisische films en Aziatische (maar ook Europese en amerikaanse) filmpraktijken

Aghoreshwar Bhagawan Ram and the Aghor Tradition

Aghoreshwar Mahaprabhu Baba Bhagawan Ram Ji, a well-established saint of the holy city of Varanasi in north India, initiated many changes into the erstwhile Aghor tradition of ascetics in India. This tradition is regarded as an ancient system of spiritual or mystical knowledge by its practitioners and at least some of the practices followed in this tradition can certainly be traced back at least to the time of the Buddha. Over the course of the centuries practitioners of this tradition have interacted with groups of other mystical traditions, exchanging ideas and practices so that both parties in the exchange appear to have been influenced by the other. Naturally, such an interaction between groups can lead to difficulty in determining a clear course of development of the tradition. In this dissertation I bring together micro-history, hagiography, folklore, religious and comparative studies together in an attempt to understand how this modern day religious-spiritual tradition has been shaped by the past and the role religion has to play in modern life, if only with reference to a single case study. My study is about Aghoreshwar Bhagawan Ram Ji\u27s life, a biography gleaned from books published by the society he established, but given flesh, blood and continuity by the stories narrated to me during fieldwork, and by comparative analysis with practices found in other long-standing traditions of spirituality in India. It is also about his viewpoints on the nature and subject of worship, humanism, nationalism, universalism, and an astute manner of communicating ideas with efficacy. Such a study not only illuminates the rigors of the life of an Aughaṛ ascetic, but also gives new insight into the workings of this tradition, as well as into what being a monk or a saint means to followers of this tradition in this age of modernity

Las caras cambiantes de las mujeres en la India, a través de las lentes de arte y artistas activistas

Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociología, leída el 22-07-2020The aim of this thesis is to study the changing status of women in India through their representation and practices in art. To evaluate how art practices of Indian women might be addressing empowerment, promoting socio-economic and progressive cultures. I base my arguments on the premise that art has the power to transform societies, as affirmed by Ernst Fischer in his essay The Necessity of Art.7This thesis attempts to analyse the impact of privileged and rural artists practices, their feminist and humanist concerns. The study was inspired by two pioneering exhibitions. Tiger by the Tail! Women Artists of India Transforming Culture, held at the Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University, Boston;8 almost coincidental with Global Feminisms in the Brooklyn museum...El objetivo principal de esta tesis es estudiar los cambios en la situación de la mujer en India a través de su representación en el arte y sus prácticas artísticas. Examino cómo podrían abordar cuestiones de empoderamiento, promover mejoras socioeconómicas y culturas progresistas. Parte de la premisa del poder del arte para forjar avances en las sociedades, tal como recoge Ernst Fischer en su ensayo The Necessity of Art.1Analizo el impacto del trabajo de las artistas privilegiadas y rurales, y sus preocupaciones feministas y humanistas. Esta investigación empezó con dos exposiciones pioneras...Fac. de Ciencias Políticas y SociologíaTRUEunpu