ASIAN 345L: Gender, Religion & Politics in South Asia

This course explores the relationship of gender to religious politics in South Asia particularly in the context of liberation movements of the past and current modernization, development and globalization schemes. It examines how ideal images of masculinity, femininity and religious practice are reworked by various actors in the service of anti-colonialist, nationalist, and community struggles. The course highlights the complex ways religious and nationalist politics have created opportunities for women's activism while simultaneously undermining their autonomy.