Ascetics as Activists examines the position of the female ascetics or sadhvis within the right-wing Hindu nationalist discourse in India. This open access book calls attention to the role of religion in gendered identity formation and political activism of the female ascetics in reference to the project of Hindutva in contemporary India.
Ignoring disciplinary divisions, this book cuts through history, politics, and gender studies to explore an authentic perspective of asceticism, activism, spirituality, and masculinity as these have been constituted in the representation of female ascetics within the Hindutva movement.
This book is the first attempt to examine the implications of gender activism and political activism of the female ascetics working at the forefront of the Hindu-Right and the ways these ascetics incorporated a range of approaches from radicalism to emancipatory in the configuration of Hindutva in India.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Bloomsbury Open Collections Library Collective.
By:
Koushiki Dasgupta (Vidyasagar University India)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 236mm,
Width: 162mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 480g
ISBN: 9781350448988
ISBN 10: 1350448982
Pages: 216
Publication Date: 12 June 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction Chapter One: The Enigma of Asceticism and Politics in India: Conceptual Underpinnings Chapter Two: Negotiating Caste, Gender, and Religion: The Saffron Activists in Hindutva Politics Chapter 3: Exploring the Leadership and Narratives of the Radical Sadhvis: Within and Outside of Party Politics Chapter Four: Celibacy, Sexuality and Extremism: The Ascetic Warriors of Hindu Rastra Chapter Five: Sadhvi-Shakti in Hindutva Politics: Issues and Challenges in 21th century Chapter Six: Media, Market and Technology: The Shifting Trajectory of the Sanatani Sadhvis in Contemporary India Conclusion Index Bibliography
Koushiki Dasgupta is the Chair Professor of History, Vidyasagar University, India. She is the author of Sadhus in Indian Politics, (2021), Electoral Politics and Hindu Nationalism in India (2020) , and Muslim Businessmen and Partition: A Bengali Experience ( 2016). Her research interests include religion, politics and gender issues.
