Neither Man Nor Woman: The Hijras of India (A volume in the Wadsworth Modern Anthropology Library)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.76 (915 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0534122043 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 170 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-06-11 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Issues-oriented, problem-focused ethnography of transcultural cult in India where a small group of men, through behavior modification and surgical procedures, become, and are accepted as, a third gender within the culture. Unique and valuable study of culture, society, and behavior in relation to gender roles.
9. Hijra Roles in Indian Society. 6. 10. Kamladevi: A Prostitute. 1. . 7. Social Organization and Economic Adaptation. Salima: An Outcast. 4. Hijra Lives on Context. 8. Emasculation Ritual Among the Hijras. 5. Meera: A New Guru. Hijras as Neither Man nor Woman. 3. 2. The Hijra in Cross-Cultural Perspective. Sushila: Achieving Respect
She has always been captivated by the stories people tell and by the tapestry of human diversity. Serena Nanda is professor emeritus of anthropology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. Her other published works include NEITHER MAN NOR WOMAN: THE HIJRAS OF INDIA, winner of the 1990 Ruth Benedict Prize; AMERICAN CULTURAL PLURALISM AND
Nanda's Neither Man Nor Woman While reading Nanda's Neither Man Nor Woman, I was struck by the sheer competancy and volume of her research. She truly gives a vivid, accurate picture of hijra life, ritual, and social attitude. The hijras are a group of traveling performers/prostitiutes who participate in ritualized castration. They are often homosexual, transsexual, or impotent men who are endowed by society with religious authority. They worship the Hindu Goddess Bahuchara Mata and participate in theatrical blessings of male children and newly weds. Nanda documents their rituals and be. Hijras, The Third Gender Fascinating book about the Hijras, a group of men in India that dress, act, and do whatever they can (surgeries, hormones) to be considered women. This book is not good for the close minded or immature as there are pages of entire lives of specific hijras, their struggles, and intimate secrets. It also demonstrates that tying the origins of hijras to myths and even Religion grants them a status of a Third gender and in some parts of India an incredible amount of respect. Shows the rigidness of the dichotmous western world and how this rigidness results in . "An Anthropological Study" according to Leah. I found this book to be an intriguing and comprehensive analysis of the lives of the Hijras of India. Nanda through personal interviews and anthropological analysis paints a picture of their lives as both marginal and yet highly spiritual. She describes how in India the hijras play an important role in both the blessings of marriages and childbirth's. It also describes the process of decision making that they go through to become a true spiritual hijra by becoming eunuchs. It is an important study to read because it challenges ideas of sexuality and spirit