Gender and religion
Kjønn og religion
Why is the gender perspective conspicuously absent from research in religion and history of religion? Are religious people and religions really as ”sexless” as the religious traditions and religion studies portray them?
The history of religions is a fascinating entrance into a study of human culture and history of mentality. In Gender and Religion, religious historian Jeanette Sky introduces general gender theoretical perspectives, while showing the relevance they may have to religion history. She takes a closer look at caste, gender and order in Hinduism; veil, sexuality and gender in Islam; Medieval attitudes in the West and masculine virtues during Victorian revival movements; as well as various gendered conceptions of salvation in new religious communities.
The question of gender and power is central. The perspective in the book is not limited to women’s religious practices or feminist theology. Here, it is both about men and women. The gender critical analyses of various religious traditions are accompanied with a look at how religions are presented in textbooks, the public and the media.
