When women and men unite they become powerful procreators. However, since menstruation is majorly endured and experienced by women, some men though keep themselves close to the process but the majority distance themselves from discussion and giving care to the women.Procreation is the reality of humankind but we choose not to speak about it and the process related to it yet continues. Now, here is the thing, the majority of men have a fragmented understanding of menstruation. As a result, they see it from the lenses of taboo and not a natural process. There is a constant mention of men here, but let’s change the track and switch to women. What do you think, because women menstruate that allows them to have a balanced perspective about periods? Absolutely, not. Even in this information age, there are many women who think a pack of sanitary napkins should be wrapped in the stories of the newspaper so that people don't read the hidden story. There are women who choose not to discuss this natural phenomenon thinking this is a sex-related concept which can’t be shared. And they just don't put a period here. They go further to preach the same to their sons and daughters. So here is the thing only a few women choose to discuss this phenomenon. And that is why we are living in this illusive reality that blood from the vagina is impure. Menstruation is less of a taboo and more of a confusion. Therefore, it needs more and more discussion. And that is why this anthology, Impure: Menstruation and Mentality was created so that the little section of men and women come up and share their perspectives on Menstruation .

This open access handbook, the first of its kind, provides a comprehensive and carefully curated multidisciplinary and genre-spanning view of the state of the field of Critical Menstruation Studies, opening up new directions in research and advocacy. It is animated by the central question: ‘“what new lines of inquiry are possible when we center our attention on menstrual health and politics across the life course?” The chapters—diverse in content, form and perspective—establish Critical Menstruation Studies as a potent lens that reveals, complicates and unpacks inequalities across biological, social, cultural and historical dimensions. This handbook is an unmatched resource for researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and activists new to and already familiar with the field as it rapidly develops and expands.

Impurity and Gender in the Hebrew Bible explores the role of female blood in the Hebrew Bible and considers its theological implications for future understandings of purity and impurity in the Jewish religion. Influenced by the work of Jonathan Klawans (Sin and Impurity in Ancient Judaism), and using the categories of ritual and moral impurities, this book analyzes the way in which these categories intersect with women and with the impurity of female blood, and reads the biblical foundations of purity and blood taboos with a feminist lens. Ultimately, the purpose of this book is to understand the intersection between impurity and gender, figuratively and non-figuratively, in the Hebrew Bible. Goldstein traces this intersection from the years 1000 BCE-250 BCE and ends with a consideration of female impurity in the literature of Qumran.

A groundbreaking cross-sectional study of the forms and extent of gender inequality in the "Big Five" religions of the world Sexism in Major Religions: A Comparative Introduction provides clear and accessible analyses of the complex forms of androcentrism and patriarchy in five of the world’s major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. With a unique comparative-thematic methodology, this student-friendly textbook bridges the gap between Religious Studies and courses in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Feminist Studies, Religion and Society, and more. Following a brief introduction to each religious system covered, Sexism in Major Religions defines important terms and concepts in modern religious feminism, including sex and gender, androcentrism and patriarchy, and revolutionary and reform feminisms. Each remaining chapter focuses on one of seven themes representing the main sources and manifestations of religious discrimination against women, such as the gender of the deity, the duties of the mother, and the status of the wife within marriage. Throughout the text, author Paul Gwynne discusses the formal gender-biased teachings and practices, distinctive features, intersecting areas, and core arguments of conservative defenders and feminist critics of each religion. Provides students with deep comparative insight into the similarities and differences between major religions on issues of gender equality Offers a fresh and original approach to exploring the forms of sexism across seven distinct themes Presents a timely and accurate account of the "landscape of sexism" in five of the world's largest religions Includes a dedicated chapter examining the status of intersex and transgender persons in religious systems Designed to broaden students' understanding of religions through systematic and impartial discussion, Sexism in Major Religions: A Comparative Introduction is an ideal textbook for undergraduate courses in Religious Studies and Social Sciences programs, as well as an invaluable resource for general readers interested in understanding and reforming sexist features within religious traditions.

The topic of children in the Bible has long been under-represented, but this has recently changed with the development of childhood studies in broader fields, and the work of several dedicated scholars. While many reading methods are employed in this emerging field, comparative work with children in the ancient world has been an important tool to understand the function of children in biblical texts. Children in the Bible and the Ancient World broadly introduces children in the ancient world, and specifically children in the Bible. It brings together an international group of experts who help readers understand how children are constructed in biblical literature across three broad areas: children in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East, children in Christian writings and the Greco-Roman world, and children and materiality. The diverse essays cover topics such as: vows in Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible, obstetric knowledge, infant abandonment, the role of marriage, Greek abandonment texts, ritual entry for children into Christian communities, education, sexual abuse, and the role of archeological figurines in children’s lives. The volume also includes expertise in biological anthropology to study the skeletal remains of ancient children, as well as how ancient texts illuminate Mary’s female maturity. The volume is written in an accessible style suitable for non-specialists, and it is equipped with a helpful resource bibliography that organizes select secondary sources from these essays into meaningful categories for further study. Children in the Bible and the Ancient World is a helpful introduction to any who study children and childhood in the ancient world. In addition, the volume will be of interest to experts who are engaged in historical approaches to biblical studies, while appreciating how the ancient world continues to illuminate select topics in biblical texts.

The authors seek to identify the recurrent tensions, the blatant points of emphasis, the recurring indications of conflict and polemic. Framing the issue of the disposition of the Scriptural heritage in broad terms, they describe what characterizes the Gospels and the Mishnah, the letters of Paul and the Tosefta. In other words, if they take whole and complete the writings of first and second century people claiming to form the contemporary embodiment of Scripture's Israel and ask what they all stress as a single point of insistence, the answer is self-evident. Nearly every Christianity and nearly all known Judaisms appeal for validation to the Scriptures of ancient Israel, their laws and narratives, their prophecies and visions. To Scripture all parties appeal - but not to the same verses of Scripture. In Scripture, all participants to the common Israelite culture propose to find validation - but not to a common theological program subject to diverse interpretation. From Scripture, every community of Judaism and Christianity takes away what it will, but not with the assent of all the others.

This book examines the representation of the female fertility cycle in contemporary Algerian, Mauritian, and French women’s writing. It focuses on menstruation, childbirth, and the menopause whilst also incorporating experiences such as miscarriage and abortion. This study frames its analysis of contemporary women’s writing by looking back to the pioneering work of the second-wave feminists. Second-wave feminist texts were the first to break the silence on key aspects of female experience which had thus far been largely overlooked or considered taboo. Second-wave feminist works have been criticised for applying their ‘universal’ theories to all women, regardless of their ethnicity, socio-economic status, or sexuality. This book argues that contemporary women’s writing has continued the challenge against normative perceptions of the body that was originally launched by the second-wave feminists, whilst also taking a more nuanced, contextual and intersectional approach to corporeal experience. The cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach of this book is informed not only by critics of the second-wave feminist movement but also by sociological studies which consider how women’s bodily experiences are shaped by socio-cultural context.

Reconstructs Jewish law, or Halachah, to make it more consistent with the principles of Progressive Judaism. Beginning with a brief history of the Progressive movement in 20th-century Judaism, the author continues with illustrations of how traditional law must be adapted to the views of modern, liberal Jews. The Halachic problems addressed range from Jewish territorial rights in Israel, divorce law, and questions of medical ethics such as organ transplantation, to the recycling of old prayerbooks. Paper edition (unseen), $15.50. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR