This course examines various religious conceptions of the human body
in South Asia.  We will explore various Hindu, Buddhist, Parsi, and
Islamic perspectives of the body, as well as delve into theoretical
approaches to the study of the human form.  Possible topics of
inquiry
are: the use of the body during ritual; the body as a site of the
sacred and profane; women's bodies; and clothing and body marking as
indicators of religious ideology. Rather than a historical survey,
this topic is explored through textual and visual representations of
the various traditions.  Some questions to think about are: How is
the body used during ritual: Are some bodies more sacred than
others? How is the body mapped? How is the body used to signal
religious ideas and beliefs? Readings are from secondary,
anthropological and theoretical sources.