RELI 280 - Gender and Genre in Hindu Literature

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

(Same as ASIA 280 and WFQS 280) Literature is prime territory for thinking about gender in Hindu traditions as an expansive, contested, interrogative category. When it comes to Hinduism, we find some of the most intricate, profound reflections on gender in sources that are highly aware of the social and emotional realities of human life: epics, narratives, poems, and performance genres. Inspired by Mrinalini Sinha’s challenge to “distinguish between merely exporting gender as an analytical category to different parts of the world and rethinking the category itself in light of those different locations,” (2012) this course asks how works of Hindu literature develop and convey their own theories of gender and sexuality. What tensions do they explore? Where do they seem to prescribe, and where do they seem to question? How do the specifics of literary forms and Hindu practices allow them to do that? The course is organized by literary genre, with students exploring early, medieval, and contemporary sources. Themes include: epic masculinity, devotional voices, heroines, ritual possession, and narratives of gender affirmation. Nell Hawley.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS