1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910966719203321

Autore

Banerjee Sikata

Titolo

Make me a man! : masculinity, Hinduism, and nationalism in India / / Sikata Banerjee

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Albany, NY, : State University of New York Press, c2005

ISBN

9780791483695

079148369X

9781423743859

1423743857

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (192 p.)

Collana

SUNY series in religious studies

Disciplina

155.3/32/0954

Soggetti

Nationalism - Religious aspects - Hinduism

Masculinity - Religious aspects - Hinduism

Hinduism and state - India

Nationalism and feminism - India - Religious aspects

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 163-173) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front Matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Empire -- Nationalism -- Cultural Nationalism, Masculine Hinduism, and Contemporary Hindutva -- In the Crucible of Hindutva -- Heroic Mothers, Chaste Wives, and Celibate Warriors -- Summary -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Make Me a Man! argues that ideas about manhood play a key role in building and sustaining the modern nation. It examines a particular expression of nation and manliness: masculine Hinduism. This ideal, which emerged from India's experience of British imperialism, is characterized by martial prowess, muscular strength, moral fortitude, and a readiness to go to battle. Embodied in the images of the Hindu soldier and the warrior monk, masculine Hinduism is rooted in a rigid "us versus them" view of nation that becomes implicated in violence and intolerance. Masculine Hinduism also has important connotations for women, whose roles in this environment consist of the heroic mother, chaste wife, and celibate, masculinized warrior. All of these roles shore up the "us versus them" dichotomy and constrict women's



lives by imposing particular norms and encouraging limits on women's freedom.Sikata Banerjee notes that the nationalism defined by masculine Hinduism draws on a more general narrative of nation found in many cultures. If the outcomes of this narrative are to be resisted, the logic of masculinity, armed manhood, and nation need to be examined in diverse contexts.