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The population of the South Asian Diaspora in the US is over 2.5 million people. Yet in a post 9/11 climate of opinion, little is known about this group beyond images of Muslim and Hindu fundamentalists and terrorists. This is particularly true of women where simplistic assumptions about veils and subordination obscure the voices of the women themselves. Rarely are Hindu and Muslim American women-many of whom are social workers, physicians, lawyers, academics, students, homemakers-asked about their everyday lives and religious beliefs. Living our Religions brings out these hidden stories from South Asian American women of Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian and Nepali origin. Their accounts show how diverse and culturally dynamic religious practices emerge within the intersection of histories and politics of specific locales. The authors describe the race, gender, and ethnic boundaries they encounter; they also document how they resist and challenge these boundaries. Living our Religions cuts through the myths and ethnocentrism of popular portrayals to reveal the vibrancy, courage and agency of an "invisible" minority. Other Contributors: Shobha Hamal Gurung, Selina Jamil, Salma Kamal, Shweta Majumdar, Bidya Ranjeet, Shanthi Rao, Aysha Saeed, Monoswita Saha, Neela, Bhattacharya Saxena, Parveen Talpur, Elora Halim Chowdhury and Rafia Zakaria
"This highly topical book is both timely and reflective of the contemporary challenges faced by many women who belong to complex networks and communities, including religious communities and who recognise both the complexity that this relationship entails and its contribution to our universal understanding of humanity and spiritual well-being. It is an ambitious piece of work which successfully achieves its primary aim that is, to narrate the experiences of Hindu and Muslim South Asian Americanwomen based upon their personal and lived realities."
| Acknowledgements | p. vii |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| Religion, Gender, Boundaries | |
| Transgressing the Sacred-Secular, Private-Public Divide | p. 23 |
| The Interconnecting Humanity: Connections Between Our Spiritual and Secular Worlds | p. 47 |
| Islam through a Mosaic of Cultures | p. 65 |
| At the Crossroads of Religions: The Experiences of a Newar Woman in Nepal and the United States | p. 81 |
| Color of God: Resplendent Clay of Hindu Images as the Glow of the Ineffable | p. 97 |
| I Am Muslim First | p. 115 |
| Red, Bulls, and Tea: Cultural Hashing of a 1.5er (A.K.A. Second-generation Reflections) | p. 129 |
| Interpretive Intervention: Religion, Gender, and Boundaries | p. 147 |
| Religion, Practices, Resistances | |
| The Many Facets of Hinduism | p. 155 |
| Living Hinduism and Striving to Achieve Internal and External Harmony | p. 179 |
| Mapping the Memories of a Nepali Woman in the United States | p. 195 |
| Bengali, Bangladeshi yet Muslim | p. 211 |
| Religion as Inspiration, Religion as Action | p. 233 |
| Muslim Women between Dual Realities | p. 249 |
| Challenging the Master Frame through Dalit Organizing in the United States | p. 265 |
| Interpretive Intervention: Religion, Practices, and Resistances | p. 281 |
| Conclusion: Human Rights, Religions, Gender | p. 285 |
| Methodological Notes | p. 297 |
| Bibliography | p. 301 |
| The Contributors | p. 317 |
| Index | p. 323 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9781565492707
ISBN-10: 1565492706
Audience:
Professional
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 272
Published: 1st November 2008
Dimensions (cm): 22.9 x 15.2
x 2.5
Weight (kg): 0.476
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