Goddesses and Women Gurus in South Asian Religious Traditions

Indian Religions have featured some prominent female figures: fierce goddesses, domestic goddesses, legendary women sages, and historical women poets. These figures can be used to empower female authority and agency, but can also be used to construct normative gender roles that limit societally accepted agency for women. This course will explore the canonical narratives of these prominent female figures and the reception of these narratives in various historical contexts. It will also examine the contemporary reception of these figures, looking both at those who champion the progressive possibilities they represent as well as feminist and subaltern critiques.