Look Inside

Love's Rite: Same Sex Marriage in India and the West

FREE Delivery
Express Shipping
$25
Express Shipping: Guaranteed Dispatch in 24 hours
Quantity
Delivery Ships in 1-3 days
Item Code: IDG965
Publisher: Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd.
Author: Ruth Vanita
Edition: 2005
ISBN: 0144000598
Pages: 370
Cover: Paperback
Other Details 8.0" X 5.1"
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
100% Made in India
100% Made in India
23 years in business
23 years in business
Book Description
From the Back of the Book

Why should the state's refusal to recognize a union as marriage mean that the union is not a marriage? In Love's Rite Ruth Vanita asks this challenging question in order to emphasize that mutual consent and family and community recognition validate a marriage- and this support frequently extends to same sex or sexuality is not intrinsic to that right, although social prejudice makes it appear so. Moreover, it cannot be denied that a multitude of events and depictions in vastly different cultures, times and places, all point to the possibility of same sex love and commitment being recognized and accepted. Marriage is a universal rite of passage that can, in the right circumstance, become the perfect ceremony of love's rite.

Vanita examines the twin phenomena of same sex weddings and same sex joint suicides that have been reported from many parts of India. She argues that these couples, when they choose to marry or die together, invoke long standing but fluid Indian legal, religious, and literary cinematic traditions to declare their love to the world. Using her intimate knowledge of ancient Indian textual history, the author demonstrates that same sex love and relationships are deeply rooted in Indian Culture- and compares the cultural and legal implications of same sex marriage in India with those in the West.

The international debate on same sex marriage is relevant to all democratic societies today. Ruth Vanita brings a fresh perspective to this debate, suggesting that same sex marriage dwells at the heart, not on the margins, of culture.

About the Author

Ruth Vanita is Professor of Liberal Studies at the University of Montana, and former Reader of English at Delhi University. She was a founder of Manushi and co-edited it from 1978-90. She is the author of Sappho and the virgin Mary: same Sex Love and the English Literary Imagination, and co author of Same sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and history; a collection of her essays on gender and sexuality and her translation of some Hindi fiction by Ugra will appear later this year.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
1 Introduction 1
2 Who Decides? Marriage Law, The State, and Mutual Consent 64
3 Is the spirit Gendered? Fluid Gender, sex Change, and Same Sex Marriage 96
4 Immortal Longings: Love Death, Rebirth and Union Through Life After Life 124
5 A second self: rituals and traditions of romantic Friendship 153
6 From Monstrous to Miraculous- Same Sex Reproduction and Parenting 185
7 All in the Family: Same Sex relationships in traditional Families 218
8 Married Among Their Companions: Female- Female Unions in Pre-Modern Erotica 246
9 Aspiring to Union: 20th Century Cinema 281
10 Conclusion 302
Appendix : Note on theory and Methodology 286
Notes 334
Copyright Acknowledgement 363
Index 364
**Contents and Sample Pages**











Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q. What locations do you deliver to ?
    A. Exotic India delivers orders to all countries having diplomatic relations with India.
  • Q. Do you offer free shipping ?
    A. Exotic India offers free shipping on all orders of value of $30 USD or more.
  • Q. Can I return the book?
    A. All returns must be postmarked within seven (7) days of the delivery date. All returned items must be in new and unused condition, with all original tags and labels attached. To know more please view our return policy
  • Q. Do you offer express shipping ?
    A. Yes, we do have a chargeable express shipping facility available. You can select express shipping while checking out on the website.
  • Q. I accidentally entered wrong delivery address, can I change the address ?
    A. Delivery addresses can only be changed only incase the order has not been shipped yet. Incase of an address change, you can reach us at help@exoticindia.com
  • Q. How do I track my order ?
    A. You can track your orders simply entering your order number through here or through your past orders if you are signed in on the website.
  • Q. How can I cancel an order ?
    A. An order can only be cancelled if it has not been shipped. To cancel an order, kindly reach out to us through help@exoticindia.com.
Add a review
Have A Question

For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy