The Making of Womanhood (Gender Relations in The Mahabharata)

DETAILS : 

• Author : Shalini Shah
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Manohar Publishers and Distributors
  
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ 8 November 2012
  
• Edition ‏ : ‎ 2012th
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
  
• Hardcover‏ : ‎ 220 pages
  
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8173049777
  
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8173049774
  
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 450 g

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Making of Womanhood: Gender Relations in The Mahabharata is a seminal academic study that offers a critical feminist reading of one of the world's most complex epics. Written by historian Shalini Shah, the book moves beyond the traditional view of the Mahabharata as a mere religious or heroic narrative, instead treating it as a profound sociological document. Shah meticulously analyzes the text to uncover how gender roles were constructed, negotiated, and enforced during the transition from a tribal to a monarchical society in ancient India. She explores the tension between the "normative" patriarchal expectations found in later legal texts like the Manusmriti and the actual, often messy, lived experiences of women depicted in the core stories of the epic.

The narrative delves into the diverse forms of marriage, the concept of niyoga (levirate), the changing status of maternal rights, and the restrictive nature of the "chaste wife" (Pativrata) ideal. Shah highlights the agency of powerful female figures like Draupadi, Kunti, and Gandhari, showing how they navigated a world that sought to subordinate them. By examining the shifting nature of kinship and property rights, the book illustrates how the "domestication" of women was essential to the stabilization of patriarchal lineages. This work is widely regarded as a foundational text for students of gender studies and ancient Indian history, providing a lens to see how the epic both challenged and solidified the structures of gender inequality.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shalini Shah is a highly respected historian and a professor at the University of Delhi, specializing in ancient Indian social history. Her research is characterized by a deep engagement with primary Sanskrit sources, which she interprets through the frameworks of modern social science and feminist theory. Shah is known for her ability to decode the "silences" in ancient texts, giving voice to marginalized groups and examining the evolution of social hierarchies. Through her extensive body of work, she has significantly contributed to the academic understanding of how ancient Indian traditions continue to influence contemporary gender dynamics and social structures.