Giving access to the latest critical thinking on the subject; Medea is a comprehensive guide to sources that paints a vivid portrait of the Greek sorceress Medea; famed in myth for the murder of her children after she is banished from her own home and replaced by a new wife. Emma Griffiths brings into focus previously unexplored themes of the Medea myth; and provides an incisive introduction to the story and its history. Studying Medea’s ‘everywoman’ status – one that has caused many intricacies of her tale to be overlooked – Griffiths places the story in ancient and modern context and reveals fascinating insights into ancient Greece and its ideology; the importance of life; the role of women and the position of the outsider. In clear; user-friendly terms; the book situates the myth within analytical frameworks such as psychoanalysis; and Griffiths highlights Medea’s position in current classical study as well as her lasting appeal.
#1253756 in Books Richard King 1999-06-23 1999-04-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x .67 x 6.14l; 1.02 #File Name: 0415202582296 pagesOrientalism and Religion Post Colonial Theory India and The Mystic East
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Must have!By Vineet ChanderA must-have for anyone serious about critically studying religion and especially for students of Hindu studies.0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. great deconstruction of Euro-centric academic epistemologiesBy pema42This book has been very helpful to me in recognizing why Religious Studies theory is biased toward dualistic epistemologies that limit the knowable to objects the ordinary mind can apprehend. This "epistemology of limitation" (p. 179) seriously distorts some non-Western systems and assumes their truth claims could never be true. Chapter 8 in particular deals with this topic. Great book; very refreshing and helpful if you work in contemplative and/or Asian systems.18 of 23 people found the following review helpful. One of the best available books on "Hinduism"By deafguyRichard King has written a very provocative and very useful book. In Orientalism and Religion; King argues that the term "Hinduism" does not represent any single ancient "religion." Rather; Hinduism is a construct of western scholars who; upon encountering Indian culture; created a religion along the lines of their own Christian conceptions of what a religion ought to be. These scholars of the nineteenth century sought out Indian equivalents of their own Christian culture (i.e. sacred texts and authority figures); and from these (largely the Vedas and the Brahmin caste; respectively) created the "religion" of the Hindus; or "Hinduism." This construction of a "world religion" abetted the colonial exploitation of Indians. King effectively argues the point through examinations of the works of early "Orientalist" scholars and works of more recent scholars who exhibit the same "essentializing" tendencies.King's account draws quite explicitly on the work of Michel Foucault and Edward Said; but King deals creatively with both Foucault and Said in generating his own unique approach to the study of the "West's" colonial encounter with India. King is not content with an account that denies the agency of native Indians. He thus focuses on how "native informants;" often in reaction against colonial forces; ironically helped perpetuate; and indeed bring into being; the "Hinduism" created by Orientalist scholars.This book should interest all students of religion; as it is part of a growing recognition that the use of the term "religion" when discussing non-western or ancient cultures is highly problematic. Indeed; a possible difficulty for King is his insistence that there were indigenous "religions" in India before the colonial encounter (as on p. 103). Orientalism and Religion should greatly impact specialists in Hinduism; but it is also accessible for the general reader willing to put forth a little extra effort.
