| Sati, the Blessing and the Curse: The Burning of Wives in India Contributor(s): Hawley, John Stratton (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0195077741 ISBN-13: 9780195077742 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA OUR PRICE: $82.17 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 1994 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Asia - India & South Asia - Social Science | Customs & Traditions - Religion | Hinduism - General |
| Dewey: 392 |
| LCCN: 92-23468 |
| Physical Information: 0.57" H x 6.1" W x 9.27" (1.05 lbs) 232 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Hindu |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Several years ago in Rajasthan, an eighteen-year-old woman was burned on her husband's funeral pyre and thus became sati. Before ascending the pyre, she was expected to deliver both blessings and curses: blessings to guard her family and clan for many generations, and curses to prevent anyone from thwarting her desire to die. Sati also means blessing and curse in a broader sense. To those who revere it, sati symbolizes ultimate loyalty and self-sacrifice. It often figures near the core of a Hindu identity that feels embattled in a modern world. Yet to those who deplore it, sati is a curse, a violation of every woman's womanhood. It is murder mystified, and as such, the symbol of precisely what Hinduism should not be. In this volume a group of leading scholars consider the many meanings of sati: in India and the West; in literature, art, and opera; in religion, psychology, economics, and politics. With contributors who are both Indian and American, this is a genuinely binational, postcolonial discussion. Contributors include Karen Brown, Paul Courtright, Vidya Dehejia, Ainslie Embree, Dorothy Figueira, Lindsey Harlan, John Hawley, Robin Lewis, Ashis Nandy, and Veena Talwar Oldenburg. |