"Prayāga Viśvavidyālaya Dvārā Ḍī. Phil. upādhi ke liye svīkr̥ta śodha-prabandha." / Bibliography: p. [430-448].

"Prayāga Viśvavidyālaya Dvārā Ḍī. Phil. upādhi ke liye svīkr̥ta śodha-prabandha." / Bibliography: p. [430-448].

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Department of Comparative Religion. / A Dissertation, submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Literature in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Comparative Religion. Includes bibliographical references.

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on November 18, 2009). Thesis advisor: Dr. Signe Cohen. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-93). / v, 93 leaves, bound 29 cm

The purpose of the thesis is to examine the relationship between social structure and ritual. It is based on data collected in a peasant village in Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, South India, over a period of twenty-three months 1970-1972). In this village, in which Gavara farmers are the dominant caste, the formal organizing principles of the society are hierarchy and interdependence. A detailed statistical survey of the realities of the society reveals that these principles, while on the whole upheld, are constantly under challenge. Women constantly challenge male dominance in domestic economic affairs and disputes and also play a major role in the high degree of marital instability and divorce. Brothers pursue their own households' interests to the detriment of their interdependent co-operation with each other. Between castes, economic relations do not always conform to a strictly hierarchical pattern. The caste hierarchy itself is a mass of discrepant unreciprocated claims. In the face of these violations and contradictory pressures it is ritual activity and its symbolism which define and uphold the formal conventions of social hierarchy and interdependence. This is achieved through the constant repetition of symbols of respect and in the principal ritual act, puja. This symbolic acting out of hierarchy is thus presented through rituals as the epitome of morality itself. The subordinate role of women is similarly defined by ritual concepts. The woman who is subordinated to her husband is virtuous and auspicious. A woman who becomes a widow is no longer subordinate to an elder male and is inauspicious. Performances of rituals of the major agricultural festivals foster ideal models of inter-caste cooperation by activating responsibilities for castes to participate interdependently. They are, however, also occasions through which numerous political and economic rivalries find expression.

This thesis is focused on a particular chapter in the history of the Christian study of Hinduism. Perspectives and attitudes from the mid-twentieth century will be studied as seen in the Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism (CSSH, 1940-1956), the first organization or society ever to focus on the Christian encounter with Hinduism, and the first forty issues of its quarterly publication, The Pilgrim (1941-1952).1 The CSSH made no attempt to spell out what it meant by "Hinduism," nor what particular variety of "Christianity" was brought to the study. The non-reflective use of these terms is not surprising for that time but demands examination in this thesis, which focuses on the Christian understanding of Hinduism that is discernable in the work of the society. The meaning of "Hinduism" has become a hotly contested issue, as has the role of Christians in developing that term and its various shades of meaning. This thesis does not attempt to resolve all the questions and controversies surrounding the study of Hinduism, but does intend to contribute to the ongoing engagement between Christians and Hindus by highlighting an impressive (and neglected) chapter in the history of that interreligious / Religious Studies & Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil (Religious Studies)

This thesis is focused on a particular chapter in the history of the Christian study of Hinduism. Perspectives and attitudes from the mid-twentieth century will be studied as seen in the Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism (CSSH, 1940-1956), the first organization or society ever to focus on the Christian encounter with Hinduism, and the first forty issues of its quarterly publication, The Pilgrim (1941-1952).1 The CSSH made no attempt to spell out what it meant by "Hinduism," nor what particular variety of "Christianity" was brought to the study. The non-reflective use of these terms is not surprising for that time but demands examination in this thesis, which focuses on the Christian understanding of Hinduism that is discernable in the work of the society. The meaning of "Hinduism" has become a hotly contested issue, as has the role of Christians in developing that term and its various shades of meaning. This thesis does not attempt to resolve all the questions and controversies surrounding the study of Hinduism, but does intend to contribute to the ongoing engagement between Christians and Hindus by highlighting an impressive (and neglected) chapter in the history of that interreligious / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil (Religious Studies)