IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/indgen/v25y2018i3p331-350.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Gendered Devotion in Neo-Vaishnavism: Women, Monks and Sattras of Majuli, Assam

Author

Listed:
  • Simashree Bora

Abstract

This article looks at the nuances of gender dynamics within Sattra , the neo-Vaishnavite monasteries of Assam, located in the river island Majuli. Established as a part of medieval bhakti movement in Assam, Sattras play a significant role not only in the religious sphere but also in sociopolitical and economic aspects of life. Drawing from historical accounts on Vaishnavism and data collected through ethnographic exploration of Sattras in Majuli, the article looks at the historical representation of women within the Vaishnavite movement and their role within the monastic system in contemporary time. While male monks are endowed with the status of sacred devotees, women’s contribution to neo-Vaishnavism is debased. The article argues that women’s relation to devotion and spirituality within devotional movements is asymmetrical and thereby historical accounts on gendered devotion should be critically examined.

Suggested Citation

  • Simashree Bora, 2018. "Gendered Devotion in Neo-Vaishnavism: Women, Monks and Sattras of Majuli, Assam," Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Centre for Women's Development Studies, vol. 25(3), pages 331-350, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:indgen:v:25:y:2018:i:3:p:331-350
    DOI: 10.1177/0971521518785665
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0971521518785665
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0971521518785665?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:indgen:v:25:y:2018:i:3:p:331-350. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.