Martyrdom, Self-sacrifice, and Self-immolation

Martyrdom, Self-sacrifice, and Self-immolation PDF Author: Margo Kitts
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190656484
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 361

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Book Description
Suicide in the forms of martyrdom, self-sacrifice, or self-immolation is perennially controversial: Should it rightly be termed suicide? Does religion sanction it? Should it be celebrated or anathematized? At least some idealization of such self-chosen deaths is found in every religious tradition treated in this volume, from ascetic heroes who conquer their passions to save others by dying, to righteous warriors who suffer and die valiantly while challenging the status quo. At the same time, there are persistent disputes about the concepts used to justify these deaths, such as altruism, heroism, and religion itself. In this volume, renowned scholars bring their literary and historical expertise to bear on the contested issue of religiously sanctioned suicide. Three examine contemporary movements with disputed classical roots, while eleven look at classical religious literatures which variously laud and disparage figures who invite self-harm to the point of death. Overall, the volume offers an important scholarly corrective to the axiom that religious traditions simply and always embrace life at any cost.

Martyrdom, Self-sacrifice, and Self-immolation

Martyrdom, Self-sacrifice, and Self-immolation PDF Author: Margo Kitts
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190656484
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 361

Get Book

Book Description
Suicide in the forms of martyrdom, self-sacrifice, or self-immolation is perennially controversial: Should it rightly be termed suicide? Does religion sanction it? Should it be celebrated or anathematized? At least some idealization of such self-chosen deaths is found in every religious tradition treated in this volume, from ascetic heroes who conquer their passions to save others by dying, to righteous warriors who suffer and die valiantly while challenging the status quo. At the same time, there are persistent disputes about the concepts used to justify these deaths, such as altruism, heroism, and religion itself. In this volume, renowned scholars bring their literary and historical expertise to bear on the contested issue of religiously sanctioned suicide. Three examine contemporary movements with disputed classical roots, while eleven look at classical religious literatures which variously laud and disparage figures who invite self-harm to the point of death. Overall, the volume offers an important scholarly corrective to the axiom that religious traditions simply and always embrace life at any cost.

Martyrdom, Self-sacrifice, and Self-immolation

Martyrdom, Self-sacrifice, and Self-immolation PDF Author: Margo Kitts
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780190656522
Category : RELIGION
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The essays in Martyrdom, Self-Sacrifice, and Self-Immolation address the delicate subject of those elective deaths which can be categorized as religiously sanctioned suicides. Broadly condemned as cowardice across the world's moral codes, suicide under certain circumstances-such as martyrdom, self-sacrifice, or self-immolation-historically carries a dynamic importance in religious legends, some tragic and others uplifting.

The Marvel of Martyrdom

The Marvel of Martyrdom PDF Author: Sophia Moskalenko
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190689323
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
"This text examines the psychological effects of martyrdom and martyrs across the world. The authors discuss martyrdom and martyrs through the lens of current events, iconic historical figures, and popular culture"--

Political Self-Sacrifice

Political Self-Sacrifice PDF Author: K. M. Fierke
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107029236
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 301

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Book Description
This book examines a variety of different forms of political self-sacrifice, including hunger strikes, self-burning, and non-violent martyrdom.

Sacrificing the Self

Sacrificing the Self PDF Author: Margaret Jean Cormack
Publisher: Amer Academy of Religion
ISBN: 9780195149999
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
Acts of martyrdom have been found in nearly all the worlds major religious traditions. Though considered by devotees to be perhaps the most potent expression of religious faith, dying for ones god is also one of the most difficult concepts for modern observers of religion to understand. This is especially true in the West, where martyrdom has all but disappeared and martyrs in other cultures are often viewed skeptically and dismissed as fanatics. This book seeks to foster a greater understanding of these acts of religious devotion by explaining how martyrdom has historically been viewed in the worlds major religions. It provides the first sustained, cross-cultural examination of this fascinating aspect of religious life. Margaret Cormack begins with an introduction that sets out a definition of martyrdom that serves as the point of departure for the rest of the volume. Then, scholars of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam examine martyrdom in specific religious cultures. Spanning 4000 years of history and ranging from Saul in the Hebrew Bible to Sati immolations in present-day India, this book provides a wealth of insight into an often noted but rarely understood cultural phenomenon.

Mary, Mother of Martyrs

Mary, Mother of Martyrs PDF Author: Kathleen Gallagher Elkins
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1725288478
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
The Virgin Mary has been idealized as a self-sacrificing mother throughout Christian history, but she is not the only ancient maternal figure whose story is connected to violent loss. This book examines several ancient representations of mothers and children in contexts of sociopolitical violence, demonstrating that notions of early Christian motherhood, as today, are contextual and produced for various political, social, and ethical reasons. In each chapter, the ancient maternal figure is juxtaposed with an example of contemporary maternal activism to show that maternal self-sacrifice can be understood as strategic, varied, politically charged, and rhetorically flexible.

Sanctified Violence in Homeric Society

Sanctified Violence in Homeric Society PDF Author: Margo Kitts
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521855297
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
This book focuses on oath-making narratives in the Iliad, through which it articulates a theory of ritualized violence.

Martyrdom

Martyrdom PDF Author: Rona M. Fields
Publisher: Praeger
ISBN:
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Experts in three disciplines--psychology, theology, and politics--examine martyrdom in thoughtful and thought-provoking chapters.

Suicide by Self-Immolation

Suicide by Self-Immolation PDF Author: César A. Alfonso
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 303062613X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
This book addresses biopsychosocial and transcultural determinants of suicide by self-immolation, populations at risk throughout the world and prevention strategies specifically designed for young women in fragile environments. Self-immolation, the act of burning oneself as a means of suicide, is rare in high-income countries, and is usually a symbolic display of political protest among men that generally receives international media coverage. In contrast, in low- and-middle-income countries it is highly prevalent, primarily affects women, and may be one of the most common suicide methods in regions of Central and South Asia and parts of Africa. Psychiatric conditions, like adjustment disorders, traumatic stress disorders, and major depression, and family dynamics that include intimate partner violence, forced marriages, the threat of honor killings, and interpersonal family conflicts in a cultural context of war-related life events, poverty, forced migration and ethnic conflicts are important contributing factors. Written by over 40 academic psychiatrists from all continents, sociologists, and historians, the book covers topics such as region-specific cultural and historical factors associated with suicide; the role of religion and belief systems; marginalization, oppression, retraumatization and suicide risk; countertransference aspects of working in burn centers; responsible reporting and the media; and suicide prevention strategies to protect those at risk.

Martyrdom in Modern Islam

Martyrdom in Modern Islam PDF Author: Meir Hatina
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107063078
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
An in-depth analysis of modern Islamic martyrdom and its various interpretations, positing martyrdom as a vital component of contemporary identity politics and power struggles.