Download or read book South Asian Goddesses and the Natural Environment written by Marika Vicziany and published by Archaeopress Archaeology. This book was released on 2024-02-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: South Asian Goddesses and the Natural Environment is a multidisciplinary collection of 11 essays ranging from the pre-Vedic to the modern era and incorporating research on Hindu, Buddhist and tribal cultures. The authors ask whether the worship of goddesses, strongly linked to fertility rituals, might have mitigated the ecological decline of South Asia in the pre-British and post-colonial eras. The manifold powers of the Devi, whether nurturing or destructive, could be constructed as companions to the unstoppable forces of Nature. This binary paradigm, however, is misleading. For millions of South Asian people, the Devi is Nature and Nature is She. Amongst scholars, the connections between the South Asian Goddesses and the natural environment have been debated and contested for centuries. This collection of essays, the last of a trilogy on the Devi or iconic female by Australian scholars and their collaborators, interrogates the paradoxes of worshipping the feminine divine and yet ignoring the natural environment that validates Her existence. Historical and cultural sources, many of them in Sanskrit, point to the Devi-Nature complex but in ignoring the role of human agency, appear to exonerate society from taking responsibility for the ecological devastation manifested throughout the South Asian region. The Devi is omnipotent but in the role of the nurturing Mother she will not intervene if we remain passive. South Asian deities teach us to respect the environment, a necessary but insufficient condition for compelling us to behave in a manner that respects the wonders of the universe.
Download or read book South Asian Goddesses and the Natural Environment written by Marika Vicziany and published by Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2024-02-08 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This multidisciplinary collection presents 11 essays ranging from the pre-Vedic to the modern era and incorporating research on Hindu, Buddhist and tribal cultures. Authors ask whether the worship of goddesses, strongly linked to fertility rituals, might have mitigated the ecological decline of South Asia in the pre-British and post-colonial eras.
Download or read book Is the Goddess a Feminist written by Alf Hiltebeitel and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2000-11 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American and Indian scholars of religion, anthropology, women's studies, and psychology look at the complex relationship between the living worship of female divinities and women in India. In keeping with the multiplicity, especially of Hinduism but also Buddhism and Jainism, the anthology presents a number of sometimes conflicting views rather than a consistent account. Only authors are indexed. c. Book News Inc.
Download or read book Thematizations of the Goddess in South Asian Cinema written by Anway Mukhopadhyay and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2022-11-16 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection presents cross-disciplinary explorations of the tropes, themes and representational frameworks constellating around the figure of the Goddess in South Asian cinema. It critically approaches the Goddess theme in various genres of South Asian cinema, using analytical tools culled from gender studies, comparative cultural studies, and religious studies, as well as film semiotics. The films discussed here represent variegated thematizations of the Goddess across regions in South Asia, including Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and various geo-cultural locations in India. As the volume highlights the regional and politico-cultural differences and commonalities in representational schemes between South Asian films of different genres through the Goddess motif, it will appeal to scholars of film studies, South Asian studies and comparative religion, and will hold a special appeal for those interested in Goddess cultures and theology.
Download or read book Women Subalterns and Ecologies in South and Southeast Asian Women s Fiction written by Chitra Sankaran and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2021-11-01 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent decades, East Asia has gained prominence and has become synonymous with Asia, while other Asian regions, such as South and Southeast Asia, have been subsumed under it. The resultant overgeneralization has meant that significant aspects of the global ecological crisis as they affect these two regions have been overlooked. Chitra Sankaran refocuses the global lens on these two rapidly developing regions of Asia. Combining South Asian and Southeast Asian philosophical views and folk perspectives with mainstream ecocritical and ecofeminist theories, she generates a localized critical idiom that qualifies and subverts some established theoretical assumptions. This pioneering study, introducing a corpus of more than thirty ecofictions by women writers from twelve countries in South and Southeast Asia, examines how recent global threats to ecosystems, in both nature and culture, impact subdominant groups, including women. This new corpus reveals how women and subalterns engage with various aspects of critical ecologies. Using ecofeminist theory augmented by postcolonial and risk theories as the main theoretical framework, Sankaran argues that these women writers present unique perspectives that review Asian women’s relationships to human and nonhuman worlds.
Download or read book Is the Goddess a Feminist written by Alf Hiltebeitel and published by Burns & Oates. This book was released on 2000 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Not A Book About A Single Goddess Or Even About A Variety Of South Asian Goddesses, This Volume Raises Questions About Images Of Deities As Symbols And The Ways In Which They Function. It Also Looks At The Politics And Theology Of Western Feminist Use Of Hindu And Buddhist Goddesses As Models For Their Feminist Reflections.
Download or read book Empowering Female Climate Change Activists in the Global South written by Peggy Ann Spitzer and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2023-07-21 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ebook edition of this title is Open Access, thanks to Knowledge Unlatched funding, and freely available to read online. Reimagining intersectional research, this book addresses the urgent need to develop gender-just solutions that empower those who are experiencing environmental degradation in their communities.
Download or read book Sacred Geography of Goddesses in South Asia written by Rana P. B. Singh and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book consists of thirteen essays that deal with links between ecology and shamanism, landscape and nature spirit, emphasising web of meanings imbued in the cultural tradition of portraying landscape as temple and territory as archetypal representation of the cosmos. In view of appreciating the path in this direction paved by David Kinsley, this anthology is a memorial tribute to him by his students, friends, associates and admirers, including an essay that critically and rationally examined his contributions and their relevance today. Of course, there are books on the thematic or disciplinary-packed orientation, however rarely any interdisciplinary book that narrates many perspectives and facets around sacred geography of goddesses is published. This anthology fulfils that gap substantially, through the essays by scholars from religious studies, geography, anthropology and cultural studies. The themes covered include: sacred places, spatiality and symbolism; mental journeys and cosmic topography, illustrated with Sricakra and Sricakrapuja; pilgrimage sites in the Siwalik Region where landscape has played special role to awaken human mind; Pavagadh, where landscape helps to make the power of the Mother Goddess; spatial circulation in ritualscape of the matrikas in Kathmandu Valley; scenario at the Kamakhya Pitha; sacredscape and spatial structure of be-headed goddess at Rajarappa; sacred geography and formation of Vindhyachal goddess territory; Hindu Goddesses in Kashi: Spatial Patterns and Symbolic Orders; the ten Mahavidyasâ (TM) Yatra in making the goddess spirit invoked; role of Durga in the present sacredscape of Varanasi; issue of images and performances related to the river goddess Ganga; and Green Tara in the wall paintings of Alchi.
Download or read book Environment and Pollution in Colonial India written by Janine Wilhelm and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-28 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: India is facing a river pollution crisis today. The origins of this crisis are commonly traced back to post-Independence economic development and urbanisation. This book, in contrast, shows that some important early roots of India’s river pollution problem, and in particular the pollution of the Ganges, lie with British colonial policies on wastewater disposal during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Analysing the two cornerstones of colonial river pollution history during the late 19th and early 20th centuries – the introduction of sewerage systems and the introduction of biological sewage treatment technologies in cities along the Ganges – the author examines different controversies around the proposed and actual discharge of untreated/treated sewage into the Ganges, which involved officials on different administrative levels as well as the Indian public. The analysis shows that the colonial state essentially ignored the problematic aspects of sewage disposal into rivers, which were clearly evident from European experience. Guided by colonial ideology and fiscal policy, colonial officials supported the introduction of the cheapest available sewerage technologies, which were technologies causing extensive pollution. Thus, policies on sewage disposal into the Ganges and other Indian rivers took on a definite shape around the turn of the 20th century, and acquired certain enduring features that were to exert great negative influence on the future development of river pollution in India. A well-researched study on colonial river pollution history, this book presents an innovative contribution to South Asian environmental history. It is of interest to scholars working on colonial, South Asian and environmental history, and the colonial history of public health, science and technology.
Download or read book Climate Change Governance and Adaptation written by Anamika Barua and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-08-29 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change adaptation in South Asia is redefining the roles of different actors in the governance processes. The existing governance lack capacity, knowledge, and leadership skills to manage the uncertainties and challenges posed by climate change. This book aims to explain how the governance of climate change adaptation and mitigation is being shaped in the region and how climate change is impacting upon the governance of natural resources. Although the focus is on South Asia, the editors draw a wide range of contributions from northern and southern communities and across various agro-ecological contexts. Climate Change Governance and Adaptation: Case Studies from South Asia sees the changing climate not only as an environmental problem but as a societal challenge and discusses the governance challenges from an interdisciplinary social science perspective across different levels: local, state, and national. Discusses also the challenges and opportunities for increasing the resilience of the society through effective governance around climate change. A top down approach to govern climate change adaptation may not yield desired outcomes; instead the book emphasizes the need to integrate issues of equity, into climate governance and polices. The lessons learned from different cases across South Asia help readers have a better and deeper understanding of the relationships between governance and climate change. Given the diversity of themes covered, this book will appeal not only to researchers and practitioners in the climate change community, but also to those with a broader interest in governance processes.
Download or read book Asian Sacred Natural Sites written by Bas Verschuuren and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-08-12 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nature conservation planning tends to be driven by models based on Western norms and science, but these may not represent the cultural, philosophical and religious contexts of much of Asia. This book provides a new perspective on the topic of sacred natural sites and cultural heritage by linking Asian cultures, religions and worldviews with contemporary conservation practices and approaches. The chapters focus on the modern significance of sacred natural sites in Asian protected areas with reference, where appropriate, to an Asian philosophy of protected areas. Drawn from over 20 different countries, the book covers examples of sacred natural sites from all of IUCN’s protected area categories and governance types. The authors demonstrate the challenges faced to maintain culture and support spiritual and religious governance and management structures in the face of strong modernisation across Asia. The book shows how sacred natural sites contribute to defining new, more sustainable and more equitable forms of protected areas and conservation that reflect the worldviews and beliefs of their respective cultures and religions. The book contributes to a paradigm-shift in conservation and protected areas as it advocates for greater recognition of culture and spirituality through the adoption of biocultural conservation approaches.
Download or read book Religious Environmental Activism in Asia written by Leslie E. Sponsel and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2020-04-09 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout the world religious organizations are exploring and implementing into action ideas about the relevance of religion and spirituality in dealing with a growing multitude of environmental issues and problems. Religion and spirituality have the potential to be extremely influential for the better at many levels and in many ways through their intellectual, emotional, and activist components. This collection focuses on providing a set of captivating essays on the specifics of concrete cases of environmental activism involving most of the main Asian religions from several countries. Particular case studies are drawn from the religions of Animism, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, and Jainism. They are from the countries of Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, and Thailand. Thereby this set of case studies offers a very substantial and rich sampling of religious environmental activism in Asia. They are grounded in years of original field research on the subjects covered. Collectively these case studies reveal a fascinating and significant movement of environmental initiatives in engaged practical spiritual ecology in Asia. Accordingly, this collection should be of special interest to a diversity of scientists, academics, instructors, and students as well as communities and leaders from a wide variety of religions, environmentalism, and conservation.
Download or read book Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women written by Cheris Kramarae and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-04-16 with total page 2050 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For a full list of entries and contributors, sample entries, and more, visit the Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women website. Featuring comprehensive global coverage of women's issues and concerns, from violence and sexuality to feminist theory, the Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women brings the field into the new millennium. In over 900 signed A-Z entries from US and Europe, Asia, the Americas, Oceania, and the Middle East, the women who pioneered the field from its inception collaborate with the new scholars who are shaping the future of women's studies to create the new standard work for anyone who needs information on women-related subjects.
Download or read book The Art of South and Southeast Asia written by Steven Kossak and published by Metropolitan Museum of Art. This book was released on 2001 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents works of art selected from the South and Southeast Asian and Islamic collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, lessons plans, and classroom activities.
Download or read book Sacred Natural Sites written by Bas Verschuuren and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-06-25 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sacred Natural Sites are the world's oldest protected places. This book focuses on a wide spread of both iconic and lesser known examples such as sacred groves of the Western Ghats (India), Sagarmatha /Chomolongma (Mt Everest, Nepal, Tibet - and China), the Golden Mountains of Altai (Russia), Holy Island of Lindisfarne (UK) and the sacred lakes of the Niger Delta (Nigeria). The book illustrates that sacred natural sites, although often under threat, exist within and outside formally recognised protected areas, heritage sites. Sacred natural sites may well be some of the last strongholds for building resilient networks of connected landscapes. They also form important nodes for maintaining a dynamic socio-cultural fabric in the face of global change. The diverse authors bridge the gap between approaches to the conservation of cultural and biological diversity by taking into account cultural and spiritual values together with the socio-economic interests of the custodian communities and other relevant stakeholders.
Download or read book Feminism s New Age written by Karlyn Crowley and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2011-06-01 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finalist for the 2011 ForeWord Book of the Year in the Women's Issues Category Crystals, Reiki, Tarot, Goddess worship—why do these New Age tokens and practices capture the imagination of so many women? How has New Age culture become even more appealing than feminism? And are the two mutually exclusive? By examining New Age practices from macrobiotics to goddess worship to Native rituals, Feminism's New Age: Gender, Appropriation, and the Afterlife of Essentialism seeks to answer these questions by examining white women's participation in this hugely popular spiritual movement. While most feminist approaches to the New Age phenomenon have simply dismissed its adherents for their politically problematic racial appropriation practices, Karyln Crowley looks honestly at the political shortcomings of New Age beliefs and practices while simultaneously reckoning with the affective, political, and cultural motivations which have prompted New Age women's individual and collective spiritualities. New Age spirituality is in fact the dynamic outgrowth of a long-standing tradition of women's social and political power expressed through religious writings, art, and public discourse, and is key to understanding contemporary women's history and religion's role in modern American culture alike. Crowley offers a new and provocative assessment of the significance of the New Age movement, seen through a feminist and critical race studies lens.
Download or read book Monsoon Rains Great Rivers and the Development of Farming Civilisations in Asia written by Peter D. Clift and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-01-07 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed review of climate change and its impacts on farming systems since the Neolithic, including anticipated future changes.
