Imagining the Fetus

Sasson, Vanessa R. [u.a.] (Hrsg.):
Imagining the fetus : the unborn in myth, religion, and culture / edited by Vanessa R. Sasson and Jane Marie Law. - Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2009. - x, 305 S. : Ill., Kt. - (American Academy of Religion cultural criticism series)
ISBN 978-0-19-538004-0 / 0-19-538004-5 (Geb.) 
US$ 99,00
ISBN 978-0-19-538005-7 / 0-19-538005-3 (Paperback) 
US$ 24,95

Beschreibung
In contemporary Western culture, the word "fetus" introduces either a political subject or a literal, medicalized entity. Neither of these frameworks does justice to the vast array of religious literature and oral traditions from cultures around the world in which the fetus emerges as a powerful symbol or metaphor. This volume presents essays that explore the depiction of the fetus in the world's major religious traditions, finding some striking commonalities as well as intriguing differences. Among the themes that emerge is the tendency to conceive of the fetus as somehow independent of the mother's body -- as in the case of the Buddha, who is described as inhabiting a palace while gestating in the womb. On the other hand, the fetus can also symbolically represent profound human needs and emotions, such as the universal experience of vulnerability. The authors note how the advent of the fetal sonogram has transformed how people everywhere imagine the unborn today, giving rise to a narrow range of decidedly literal questions about personhood, gender, and disability. [Verlagsinformation]

Inhalt
Contributors. vii
1. Vanessa R. Sasson; Jane Marie Law: Introduction: Restoring nuance to imagining of the fetus. 3
2. André Couture: The story of Saṃkarṣaṇa's and Kṛṣṇa's births : a drama involving embryos. 11
3. Eva De Clercq: The great men of Jainism in utero: a survey. 33
4. Vanessa R. Sasson: A womb with a view : the Buddha's final fetal experiences. 55
5. Robert Kritzer: Life in the womb : conception and gestation in Buddhist scripture and classical Indian medical literature. 73
6. Justin Thomas McDaniel: Philosophical embryology : Buddhist texts and the ritual construction of a fetus. 91
7. Frances Garrett: Tibetan Buddhist narratives of the forces of creation. 107
8. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh: Female feticide in the Punjab and fetus imagery in Sikhism. 121
9. Marten Stol: Embryology in Babylonia and the bible. 137
10. Catherine Playoust; Ellen Bradshaw Aitken: The leaping child : imagining the unborn in early Christian literature. 157
11. Gwynn Kessler: Famous fetuses in Rabbinic narratives. 185
12. Daniel C. Peterson: A prophet emerging : fetal narratives in Islamic literature. 203
13. Carolyn E. Tate: The colossal fetuses of La Venta and Mesoamerica's earliest creation story. 223
14. Jane Marie Law: Out of place : fetal references in Japanese mythology and cultural memory. 259
15. Sallie Han: Seeing like a family : fetal ultrasound images and imaginings of kin. 275
Index. 291

Herausgeberinnen

VANESSA R. SASSON, Professor of Religious Studies, Marianopolis College, Montreal.

JANE MARIE LAW, Associate Professor of Japanese Religion, Cornell University. Faculty profile.

Quellen: Oxford University Press (USA); Amazon; Google Books; WorldCat.