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Deconstructing her: a study of four female characters in Christian and Hindu texts

Sharma, Anshika (2022) Deconstructing her: a study of four female characters in Christian and Hindu texts. Master of Arts thesis, Dublin City University.

Abstract
Centuries of male dominance have led to alterations and misinterpretations of religious texts, leading to ambiguity regarding the women in these narratives. This research engages with key texts of Hinduism and Christianity using literary analysis of the construction, presentation, and reception of the primary female characters: Mary of Nazareth and Mary Magdalene in the Christian New Testament; Sītā from the Rāmāyaṇa, and Draupadī from the Mahābhārata.This study examines the passages where these women are mentioned, and goes on to attempt a character reconstruction and challenge their popular stereotypical reception. The research is divided into four chapters beginning with Mary of Nazareth where her presence in the New Testament is traced through the Gospels. Passages emphasizing Mary’s unwavering faith in God, her bravery, and her attempts to understand the divine events around her, are highlighted in order to demonstrate that she was more than a passive, obedient mother. Next, the four Gospels are examined to reconstruct Mary Magdalene’s loyalty towards Jesus and his cause. Further, the passages that have been wrongly attributed to her are highlighted to get to the roots of the misconception that Mary was a woman engaged in prostitution. The study then moves to the Puranic Hindu texts and first examines Sītā by exploring her divinity, rage, intelligence, and bravery, a portrayal that contrasts to the modern reception of her character. Finally, popular myths about Draupadī are challenged as the study outlines her divine origins, her multiple public humiliations, her justified anger, and her spirited debates with the men around her. The study concludes with a contribution to feminist exploration and comparative theology of sacred texts through a comparative theological analysis of the four women in these texts.
Metadata
Item Type:Thesis (Master of Arts)
Date of Award:November 2022
Refereed:No
Supervisor(s):Regan, Ethna and Kearney, Jonathan
Uncontrolled Keywords:Theology; Hinduism; Christianity; Biblical Studies; New Testament
Subjects:Humanities > Religions
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > School of Theology, Philosophy, & Music
ID Code:27615
Deposited On:11 Nov 2022 15:40 by Jonathan Kearney . Last Modified 11 Nov 2022 15:40
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