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Same-Sex Love in India

Readings in Indian Literature

  • Book
  • © 2000

Overview

Editors:
  1. Ruth Vanita
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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Saleem Kidwai
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Table of contents (56 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxiv
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  2. Introduction: Ancient Indian Materials

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-30
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    2. Vyasa’s Mahabharata: “Sikhandin’s Sex Change” (Sanskrit)

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 31-36

    3. Manikantha Jataka (Pali)

      • Kumkum Roy
      Pages 37-39

    4. Vishnu Sharma’s Panchatantra (Sanskrit)

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 40-45

    5. Vatsyayana’s Kamasutra

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 46-53

  3. Introduction: Medieval Materials in the Sanskritic Tradition

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 55-68
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    2. Bhagvata Purana: The Embrace of Shiva and Vishnu (Sanskrit)

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 69-71

    3. Skanda Purana: Sumedha and Somavan (Sanskrit)

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 72-76

    4. Shiva Purana: The Birth of Kartikeya (Sanskrit)

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 77-80

    5. Shiva Purana: The Birth of Ganesha (Sanskrit)

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 81-84

    6. Somadeva Bhatta’s Kathasaritsagara: Kalingasena and Somaprabha (Sanskrit)

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 85-89

    7. Padma Purana: Arjuni (Sanskrit)

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 90-93

    8. Ayyappa and Vavar: Celibate Friends

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 94-99

    9. Krittivasa Ramayana: The Birth of Bhagiratha (Bengali)

      • Ruth Vanita
      Pages 100-102

    10. Jagannath Das (Oriya)

      • Sumanyu Satpathy
      Pages 103-105

  4. Introduction: Medieval Materials in the Perso-Urdu tradition

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 107-125
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    2. Amir Khusro (Persian and Hindvi)

      • Saleem Kidwai
      Pages 126-130

    3. Ziauddin Barani: The Khaljis in Love (Persian)

      • Saleem Kidwai
      Pages 131-135

    4. The Mirror of Secrets: “Akhi” Jamshed Rajgiri (Persian)

      • Scott Kugle
      Pages 136-139
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Keywords

About this book

Same-Sex Love in India presents a stunning array of writings on same-sex love from over 2000 years of Indian literature. Translated from more than a dozen languages and drawn from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and modern fictional traditions, these writings testify to the presence of same-sex love in various forms since ancient times, without overt persecution. This collection defies both stereotypes of Indian culture and Foucault's definition of homosexuality as a nineteenth-century invention, uncovering instead complex discourses of Indian homosexuality, rich metaphorical traditions to represent it, and the use of names and terms as early as medieval times to distinguish same-sex from cross-sex love. An eminent group of scholars have translated these writings for the first time or have re-translated well-known texts to correctly make evident previously underplayed homoerotic content. Selections range from religious books, legal and erotic treatises, story cycles, medieval histories and biographies, modern novels, short stories, letters, memoirs, plays and poems. From the Rigveda to Vikram Seth, this anthology will become a staple in courses on gender and queer studies, Asian studies, and world literature.

About the authors

RUTH VANITA is Associate Professor of Women's Studies at the University of Montana.

SALEEM KIDWAI is a translator, writer, and consultant living in New Delhi.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Same-Sex Love in India

  • Book Subtitle: Readings in Indian Literature

  • Editors: Ruth Vanita, Saleem Kidwai

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-05480-7

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York

  • eBook Packages: Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies Collection, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Nature America Inc. 2000

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-0-312-29324-6Published: 21 October 2001

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-05480-7Published: 02 August 2016

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXIV, 370

  • Topics: Gender Studies, History of South Asia, Literature, general

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