Hinduism, Tribalism, and the Position of Women: The Problem of Newar Identity (original) (raw)

Man (N.S.), 1991

Abstract

A dichotomous Hindu v. tribal or caste v. tribal model is frequently used to analyse the relationship between dominant and peripheral groups in South Asia. Using data from the Newars of Nepal, it is argued that this model reflects indigenous stereotypes, especially concerning the position of women. Historical data and contemporary practice show that the oft-cited freedom of Newar women to divorce and remarry without stigma probably only ever applied to low castes and outlying villages. The mock marriage of Newar girls to a god, while a ritual adaptation to the norms of Brahmanism, does not prevent a Newar woman from experiencing widowhood. A trichotomous model, the components of which are briefly sketched, is proposed that is better able to capture the complexity of current ethnographic fact and of its possible historical antecedents.

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