Women in World Religions (Mcgill Stud Hist Religion

by Arvind Sharma (Editor)

This is a book by women about women in the religions of the world. It presents all the basic facts and ideological issues concerning the position of women in the major religious traditions of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, and tribal religions.

A special feature of the book is its phenomenological approach, wherein scholars examine sacred textual materials. Each contributor not only studies her religion from within, but also studies it from her own feminine perspective. Each is an adept historian of religions, who grounds her analysis in publicly verifiable facts. The book strikes a delicate balance between hard fact and delicate perception, the best tradition of phenomenology and the history of religions. It also demonstrates how much religions may vary over time.

Contributors are Katherine K. Young, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at McGill University; Nancy Schuster Barnes, whose Ph.D. is in Sanskrit and Indian Studies; M. Theresa Kelleher, Assistant Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Manhattanville College; Barbara Reed, Assistant Professor of Religion at St. Olaf College; Denise L. Carmody, Professor and Chair, Department of Religion, The University of Tulsa. Also Jane I. Smith, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Harvard Divinity School; Rosemary Radford Ruether, Georgia Harkness Professor of Applied Theology at the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary; Rita M. Gross, Associate Professor of Comparative Religions at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Clair.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, History

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 1987

About the author

Arvind Sharma, Ph.D. (Sanskrit & Indian Studies, Harvard University, 1978; M.A. Theological Studies, Harvard Divinity Schookl, 1974; M.A. Economics, Syracuse University, 1970; B.A. History, Economics, & Sanskrit, Allahadad University, 1958), was appointed Associate Professor in the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada in 1987, where he is now the Birks Professor of Comparative Religion. Previously he has been associated with the Universities of Sydney and Queensland (Brisbane) in Australia and Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Olla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it, love it, LOVE IT!!! Amazing essays from knowledgeable authors! This book contains decrypting of social constructs shown through religious believes around the world. Must-read for everybody interested in exploring WHY YOUR RELIGION HATES WOMEN??? Or why religions are the way they are... in general.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure why anyone thought it was a good idea to edit a volume on world religions while only asking western authors to contribute. Full of blatant bias and poor attempts to mask ignorance based on non-participation in and a lack of cultural identification with the religions under discussion.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent summary chapters that don't assume a ton of previous knowledge of the religions discussed, but not dumbed down either. Also valuable for choosing the best possible writers for each chapter (Rosemary Ruether for Christianity, Denise Carmody for Judaism, etc.), and for having chapters on religions not treated at all in other books on women in religion, such as Confucianism and Taoism.

[Sidney Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to compare the patristic and patriarchal world view of the Abrahamic religions with other world religions and with African spirituality in particular.