Feminism and World Religions

by Arvind Sharma (Editor), Katherine K. Young (Editor)

Overview

CHOICE 1999 Outstanding Academic Books

Addressing religion and feminism on a global scale, this unprecedented book contains a nuanced and fine-tuned treatment of seven of the world's religions from a feminist perspective by leading women scholars. Feminism and World Religions contains chapters on Hinduism by Vasudha Narayanan, Buddhism by Rita M. Gross, Confucianism by Terry Woo, Taoism by Karen McLaughlin and Eva Wong, Judaism by Ellen M. Umansky, Christianity by Rosemary Radford Ruether, and Islam by Riffat Hassan, along with a general introduction and a postscript by Katherine K. Young and a preface by Arvind Sharma. The fact that these authors share a dual but undivided commitment both to themselves as women and to their traditions as adherents imparts to their voices a prophetic quality, and if Mahatma Gandhi is to be believed, even scriptural value.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791440247
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	12/23/1998
Series:	SUNY series, McGill Studies in the History of Religions, A Series Devoted to International Scholarship
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Arvind Sharma is Birks Professor of Comparative Religion at McGill University. He has edited several books, among them, Women in World Religions; Religion and Women; and Today's Woman in World Religions, all published by SUNY Press. Katherine K. Young is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at McGill University. She has edited several books, among them (with Harold Coward and Julius Lipner) Hindu Ethics: Purity, Abortion, and Euthanasia, published by SUNY Press, and Images of the Feminine.

Table of Contents

Preface
Arvind Sharma

Introduction
Katherine K. Young


1. Brimming with Bhakti, Embodiments of Shakti:
Devotees, Deities, Performers, Reformers, and Other Women of Power in the Hindu Tradition
Vasudha Narayanan


2. Strategies for a Feminist Revalorization of Buddhism
Rita M. Gross


3. Confucianism and Feminism
Terry Woo


4. Feminism and/in Taoism
Karen Laughlin And Eva Wong


5. Feminism in Judaism
Ellen M. Umansky


6. Feminism in World Christianity
Rosemary Radford Ruether


7. Feminism in Islam
Riffat Hassan


Postscript
Katherine K. Young


Notes on Contributors


Name Index


Terms Index


Subject Index

Editorial Reviews

Offers a nuanced treatment of seven of the world's religions from a feminist perspective. All contributors are women, and all are insiders in both the academic world and that of the religious communities they discuss. They examine the interaction of feminism and Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. An introduction overviews intellectual trends that have informed the transition to an insider perspective. These trends include Romanticism, ecumenism, Marxism, and deconstruction. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

"There are many excellent aspects to this book. Beginning with the highly critical introduction, the text represents the history of the feminist movement and the great diversities of approaches, both within a particular tradition and among the world's traditions. This gives a breadth and depth to the text that could not be found within works which are tradition-bound. The detail provided by each author is most interesting, indeed, enlightening. As the introduction makes clear, this is the unique advantage of having each chapter written by an 'insider.' I am especially appreciative of the representation of the Confucian and Taoist traditions in this area. Their inclusion brings voices that are rarely heard." — Kathleen Dugan, University of San Diego

From the Publisher