Panel: GENDER (IN)EQUALITIES IN RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS: THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORKS, NORMATIVE PRACTICES, AND CONTEMPORARY RECONFIGURATIONS



162_2.1 - MENSTRUATION BETWEEN SACREDNESS AND POLLUTION: FROM BRAHMANICAL TRADITIONS TO THE DIGITAL REINTERPRETATION OF STIGMA

AUTHORS:
Giampietri V. (Sapienza University of Rome / Antwerpen University ~ Rome ~ Italy)
Text:
Across different religious traditions, menstruation has historically functioned as a central axis for articulating ritual purity. As noted by Dunnavant and Roberts (2013), most global religions prescribe menstrual restrictions that frame the menstruating body as threatening. In the context of contemporary India, where menstruation remains framed as impure, these ancient taboos are not merely static relics but are actively reconstructed through religious discourse to validate the exclusion of women from religious and domestic spheres. This paper explores the tension between tradition and gender justice within the framework of Brahmanical Hinduism. Specifically, it examines public debates between religious tradition and modern law, such as the controversies surrounding the Śabarimala temple - centered on the legal battle over the ban on women of menstruating age - and the Kamakhya tradition. The latter presents a significant case of ritual ambivalence: while the menstruation of the Goddess Kamakhya is venerated as a source of cosmic power, real menstruating bodies continue to face social and ritual restrictions. This paradox serves as a focal point for understanding how religious systems maintain gendered inequalities even within goddess-centric traditions. A central focus of the research is the digital evolution of these discourses. Through ethnographic research and analysis of social media content, the paper examines how contemporary influencers, writers, and religious figures reinterpret prescriptive sacred texts to validate modern menstrual restrictions. This "neo-traditionalist" hermeneutic often masks discriminatory practices under the guise of "Vedic science" or "spiritual energy management." Through an interdisciplinary and multimethod analysis, this study highlights how religious authority is paradoxically reinforced in the digital age, framing the body as a primary site of contestation between patriarchal normativity and feminist reconfiguration.