Questioning Ramayanas: A South Asian Tradition

by Paula Richman (Editor)

Questioning Ramayanas

Genres: Hinduism, Religion, Mythology, India

432 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2000

About the author

Paula Richman is a professor of Religion at Oberlin College.

Reviews

[S. Alberto ঌ⁻⁷ (always yearning)]

The collection presents a compelling and scholarly array of perspectives that challenge the monolithic reading of the Ramayana and highlight its evolution across regions, languages, and time periods. As a study of interpretive diversity and contestation, the volume is rich in its theoretical framing and cultural scope. However, my own expectations going into this book were shaped by a desire for more direct engagement with primary narratives and textual analysis related to Valmiki’s epic. Instead, the essays leaned heavily toward cultural criticism and commentary, which, while important, didn’t align with my specific research focus. This made the book more of a secondary or contextual source for my project than a core reference. It’s a valuable read for those interested in narrative theory, subaltern reinterpretations, or the politics of epic retelling, but it’s worth noting that the volume is not an introduction to the Ramayana itself.

[Kandachamy Vijayakumaran]

An interesting and thoroughly researched collection of essays on the Ramayana Traditions of the South Asia. An invaluable must-read for all Indians (and others too) perplexed with the Hindutva narrative of Rama, breeding hatred among people. A book that will help us to reinforce the distinction between myths and history.

[Celeste]

This is a fabulous collection of essays looking at the ways in which different versions of the story of Rama and Sita question hegemonic discourses about gender, caste, imperialism, and racism. The Ramayana is one of the most retold epic myths in Indian (and Southeast Asian...but this book deals only with Indian and Indian diasporic Ramayanas), and with its emphasis on Rama as the ideal king and Sita as the ideal wife continues to have intense cultural and political salience. However, this book shows that attempts to co-opt the Ramayana story by right-wing Hindu nationalists flies in the face of a tradition much more diverse that the nationalists would have us believe.

[Warren Perry]

Another nice set of essays investigating the interpretation of the Ramayana.