Publisher's Weekly Review
Gutschow, a visiting assistant professor in religion at Williams College, spent over a decade living in various Buddhist nunneries in the Zangskar region of Kashmir to produce a thoroughgoing ethnography describing the "alternative society" the nuns established within their restrictive environment. After describing the social, political, historical and economic context of Zangskar, Gutschow discusses the "Buddhist economy of merit" wherein monks-despite doctrinal teachings to the contrary-are believed to have "more Tantric prowess than nuns" in performing rites for villagers. They garner generous endowments that literally turn the monastery into a wealthy corporation that collects rent from sharecroppers and grants loans to villagers at 20 percent interest. By contrast, nuns are forced to labor in the fields for subsistence, are lorded over by monks and are vulnerable to public beatings, even rape. The inescapable struggle of being a woman in a patriarchal system is the heart of Gutschow's work and permeates her further discussions, including ideologies of purity and pollution and Tantric approaches to the question of female enlightenment. Although her academic tone can be dry, Gutschow's analysis is penetrating, and her supporting anecdotes are often vivid and effective. Her work reveals that the reality of Himalayan Buddhist monasticism, far from being Shangri-La, is thoroughly rooted in the very foibles of the world it professes to renounce. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Choice Review
This is a detailed study of the history and contemporary state of female monasticism in the Zangskar region of India. Gutschow (visiting faculty, Williams College) makes an important contribution to the study of women and religion and also Tibetan Buddhism. Using Bourdieu's concept of symbolic capital, she analyzes the Buddhist "economy of merit," which mirrors and replicates the capital-driven economy. These two economies support each other, as the economy of merit legitimates and reinforces the existing social hierarchy. Gutschow details the economic roles played by Zangskari nuns in their communities, roles necessitated in part by the nuns' lack of economic independence, and by the community's need for their labor. Gutschow illustrates how the ideology of purity and pollution subordinates women. Though the nuns may have escaped subservient familial roles, communities of nuns are typically subordinated to communities of monks; nuns are expected to serve monks in ways that approximate the roles of wives. Gutschow convincingly demonstrates that, despite the rhetoric of gender equality in some Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, Buddhist practices have maintained gender difference in the service of patriarchy. The authors' work is marred only by errors in transliteration and reference omissions. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. D. B. Gray William Marsh Rice University
Library Journal Review
In many religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, women are considered spiritually inferior to men and often suffer inequitable treatment in the wider society. Buddhism, with its highly egalitarian doctrine, is often perceived as being different. Gutschow (religion, Williams Coll.) shows that in this regard we have mistakenly focused on ideals rather than on actual practices. Since 1989, she has stayed for months at a time at Buddhist nunneries in Zangskar, a majority Buddhist area in the Indian region of Jammu & Kashmir. Her research shows that despite their adherence to approved doctrines of monastic organization and observance and their donning of religious dress, nuns are treated as inferiors and entirely subordinated to monks-just as all other women of the region are subordinated to men. The nuns must fight not only for enlightenment but also for equality. Frequently concerned with the complex theoretical issues in ethnology, this book will not appeal to casual readers. Though specialists may find Gutschow's occasional stridency off-putting, her book is recommended for academic libraries and others with collections on religion.-James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
