Mythologizing in South Asian Traditions

Diana Dimitrova is Professor of Hinduism and South Asian Religions at the University of Montreal in Montreal, Canada and Fellow of the Royal Society in Canada. Her recent publications include Cultural Identity in Hindi Plays: Poetics, Politics and Theatre in India (Oxford University Press, 2023) and the edited volume Rethinking the Body in South Asian Traditions (Routledge, 2021).

• 1. Introduction.- 2. Samkarshaṇa and the Diversion of the Yamuna River according to Harivaṃśa 83.- 3. Take Me to the River, Drop Me in the Water: Vishnu's Fish avatāra as Yugic-Kalpic.- 4. The Benefits of Marrying a Demoness: the Mahābhārata’s Hidimbā episode in the Classroom.- 5. Waging War in Wild Wild Country:  Regulating Sex and Nation in Osho’s Rajneeshpuram.- 6. Mythologizing the Rāmāyaṇa: Gender, Power and Politics in Bollywood Films (1993-2007).- 7. Gender, Religious Narratives, and Film in Pre-independence India: Analysis of V. Shantaram’s Kunku.- 8. Activist Authors, Duty-bound Arjuna, and Selfless Action in Early Indian Nationalism.- 9. The Malevolent Myth of Cosmic War.