Women in Tibet, Past and Present

This volume presents a variety of data and reflection on the history of Tibetan women. Drawing on textual and archival study, ethnographic research, the history of religions, and feminist theory, the contributors explore the struggles and accomplishments of women from Tibet, including queens from the imperial period, "yoginis" and religious teachers of mediaeval times, Buddhist nuns, oracles, political workers, doctors and artists. The work seeks to resist both romanticisation and excessive criticism of the position and status of women in Tibetan society, exploring instead the complex relations between religion, culture, and social and political reality throughout history and the secular and religious facets of women's lives. The contributors explore the roots of androcentrism and misogyny, the means by which women have handled such biases, and the wider implications of gender differentiation in the Tibetan world.