Epic Constructions
The Epic Constructions Project was a three-year collaborative research project in the Department of the Study of Religions at the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London, April 2004–March 2007. It explored how issues of gender are utilised by the Sanskrit Mahabharata in terms of its narrative and its philosophy. It has explored in historical context the text’s construction of various normative gender roles, and it has explored certain specific themes in the Mahabharata in detail, such as the relation between patriliny, kingship, and sacrifice; the significance of female listeners; the gendering of the philosophical ideas of purusha and prakriti; the bi-gendered representational dimension of royalty; the representation of ambiguous genders; and the dialogical construction of gendered identities.
This project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and pursued in association with the Centre for Gender and Religions Research at SOAS.
Aims
- To integrate critical gender studies into Mahabharata research, reorienting the study of the Mahabharata such that ‘gender-blind’ research in this field will no longer be possible.
- To explore the uses of myth and narrative for the construction of normative gender roles within the text.
- To use a gender hermeneutic to explore significant and hitherto underexplored themes in Mahabharata studies.
- To have an impact on the study of gender with regard to other ancient texts from India and elsewhere.
- To facilitate an interdisciplinary approach to the Mahabharata.
