Women and the Contested State: Religion, Violence, and Agency in South and Southeast Asia / Edition 1

by Monique Skidmore, Patricia Lawrence

Overview

Throughout South and Southeast Asia, groups battle over definitions of identity—in direction and character—for their state, a struggle complicated by the legacy of colonialism. The contributors to this volume explore the intricate, dynamic relationships that pertain between women's agency and the state-making institutions and armed forces of Kashmir, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Burma (Myanmar). They also address the complex roles of Islam, Hinduism, and Theravada Buddhism in these postcolonial dynamics.

In particular, the contributors examine religion as a way of understanding how women’s agency is constituted, created, and constrained during times of conflict with the state and other armed actors, such as guerilla groups and paramilitaries. These essays at the intersection of gender, religion, and peace studies will be of interest to a wide range of scholars and students who study conflict and hope for peace in South and Southeast Asia.

Contributors: Monique Skidmore, Peter van der Veer, Veena Das, Betty Joseph, Yasmin Saikia, Patricia Lawrence, Alexandra Argenti-Pillen, Mangalika de Silva, Ingrid Jordt, and Bénédicte Brac de la Perrière.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780268041267
Publisher:	University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date:	10/01/2007
Edition description:	1
Pages:	274
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.58(d)

About the Author

Monique Skidmore is a Fellow in the Research School of Humanities and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University. She is the author and editor of numerous books and articles, including Burma at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century.

Patricia Lawrence teaches peace and conflict studies and anthropology at the University of Colorado. She is the author and co-author of a number of books and scholarly articles, including the forthcoming Intervention Before Violence.

Editorial Reviews

Focuses on women in Bangladesh, Burma, Sri Lanka, and the Indian region of Kashmir.” —The Chronicle of Higher Education

“The contributors to Women and the Contested State make an original contribution to the field in addressing the link between the sensitive subjects of religion and violence, and of this link as it relates to the question of women's agency in particular Asian nation-states. The issues addressed in this volume will be of interest to scholars in women's or feminist studies, theorists of nationalism, and analysts of political change that is linked to violence and religion." —Sonita Sarker, Macalester College

“This is a timely and significant book that will add both to the literature and to the reading public’s larger understanding of contemporary events. It tackles core issues of humanity and ethics with honest and sophisticated scholarship. Women and the Contested State will speak to readers across the social sciences and South/SouthEast Asia studies, as well as providing cutting edge resources to NGOs, journalists, and development specialists.” —Carolyn Nordstrom, University of Notre Dame

From the Publisher