Imagining the Fetus : The Unborn in Myth, Religion, and Culture - Vanessa R Sasson

Instant online reading.
Don't wait for delivery!
Go digital and save!

Imagining the Fetus

The Unborn in Myth, Religion, and Culture

By: Vanessa R Sasson, Jane Marie Law

Write A Review

Paperback | 30 April 2009

At a Glance

Paperback
316 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
15.5 x 23.1 x 2

Paperback

RRP $78.95

$62.75

21%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $15.69 with

Ships in 7 to 10 business days

In contemporary Western culture, the word "fetus" introduces either a political subject or a literal, medicalized entity. Neither of these frameworks does justice to the vast array of religious literature and oral traditions from cultures around the world in which the fetus emerges as a powerful symbol or metaphor. This volume presents essays that explore the depiction of the fetus in the world's major religious traditions, finding some striking commonalities as well as intriguing differences. Among the themes that emerge is the tendency to conceive of the fetus as somehow independent of the mother's body -- as in the case of the Buddha, who is described as inhabiting a palace while gestating in the womb. On the other hand, the fetus can also symbolically represent profound human needs and emotions, such as the universal experience of vulnerability. The authors note how the advent of the fetal sonogram has transformed how people everywhere imagine the unborn today, giving rise to a narrow range of decidedly literal questions about personhood, gender, and disability.

Industry Reviews

"Canvassing many world religions, as well as dealing capably with biblical traditions, teh contributors have assembled and analyzed a wealth of intriguing materials. ...This collection of essays will appeal to the full range of readers; it will be valuable to researchers, yet accessible enough for undergraduate courses and helpful to a general audience seeking insights beyond the rhetorical impasse of current debates." --Choice

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Religion & Beliefs Aspects of Religion for Non-Christians Theology Christianity Christian Theology Religion Religious Issues & Debates Comparative Religion Philosophy of Religion

Other Editions and Formats

Hardcover

Published: 1st December 2008

View Product

Contributors, vii
Introduction: Restoring Nuance to Imagining the Fetus	p. 3
The Story of Samkarsana's and Krsna's Births: A Drama Involving Embryos	p. 11
The Great Men of Jainism In Utero: A Survey	p. 33
A Womb with a View: The Buddha's Final Fetal Experience	p. 55
Life in the Womb: Conception and Gestation in Buddhist Scripture and Classical Indian Medical Literature	p. 73
Philosophical Embryology: Buddhist Texts and the Ritual Construction of a Fetus	p. 91
Tibetan Buddhist Narratives of the Forces of Creation	p. 107
Female Feticide in the Punjab and Fetus Imagery in Sikhism	p. 121
Embryology in Babylonia and the Bible	p. 137
The Leaping Child: Imagining the Unborn in Early Christian Literature	p. 157
"Famous" Fetuses in Rabbinic Narratives	p. 185
A Prophet Emerging: Fetal Narratives in Islamic Literature	p. 203
The Colossal Fetuses of La Venta and Mesoamerica's Earliest Creation Story	p. 223
Out of Place: Fetal References in Japanese Mythology and Cultural Memory	p. 259
Seeing Like a Family: Fetal Ultrasound Images and Imaginings of Kin	p. 275
Index	p. 291
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Imagining the Fetus

The Unborn in Myth, Religion, and Culture

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

Other Editions and Formats

Hardcover

More in Religious Issues & Debates

Crusader Criminals

The Knights Who Went Rogue in the Holy Land

God is Good for You

A defence of Christianity in troubled times

You Can, If You Want To

Navigating Christian Faith, Conscience, and matters LGBTQ+

The Divine Economy

How Religions Compete for Wealth, Power, and People

God is Not Great

How Religion Poisons Everything

The Screwtape Letters: Letters From A Senior To A Junior Devil

C. S. Lewis Signature Classic

The Righteous Mind

Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion

A Different Country

The Rage of Party

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Apocalypticism and Millennialism

A Vast Bundle of Opportunities

An Exploration of Creativity in Personal Life and Community

The English Modernist Novel as Political Theology

Challenging the Nation

Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life

New Frontiers in Science and Religion

The Fugitive Blacksmith and Other Essential Writings by James W.C. Pennington

Oxford New Histories of Philosophy

Islamophobia and Lebanon

Visibly Muslim Women and Global Coloniality

Encounters

The Crusades In 50 Objects

Minority Religions, the Law, and the Courts

Cases and Consequences

Minority Religions, the Law, and the Courts

Cases and Consequences

Early Twentieth Century New Black Religious Movements in the United States

Elements in New Religious Movements

Early Twentieth Century New Black Religious Movements in the United States

Elements in New Religious Movements

Because They Hate

A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America

Indescribable

100 Devotions For Kids About God And Science

How Democracies Die

What History Reveals About Our Future

Return of the God Hypothesis

Three Scientific Discoveries Revealing the Mind Behind the Universe

This product is categorised by