Virtual Book Talk-
Yogmaya & Durga Devi: Rebel Women of Nepal by Dr. Barbara Nimri Aziz
CSAS In collaboration with Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Spring 2023 Colloquia
10 February 2023, Friday at 12 noon. Zoom Meeting ID: 990 1879 0301, Passcode: 160712
Dr. Barbara Nimri Aziz is an American anthropologist, journalist and writer. She is known for her research and scholarship in the areas of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. Aziz played a leading role in the Arab-American literary sphere and was involved in establishing the literary collective RAWI. Dr. Aziz’s seven books reflect a lifetime of travel and research across several continents. Today, she resides in the middle hills of New York State where winter recalls the thin air of Solukhumbu and summer the mist rising above the Arun River in Nepal.
Book Talk:
YOGMAYA & DURGA DEVI: REBEL WOMEN OF NEPAL
A century ago Yogmaya and Durga Devi, two women champions of justice, emerged from a remote corner of rural Nepal to offer solutions to their nation’s social and political ills. Then they were forgotten.Years after their demise, in 1980 veteran anthropologist Barbara Nimri Aziz first uncovered their suppressed histories in her comprehensive and accessible biographies. Revelations from her decade of research led to the resurrection of these women and their entry into contemporary Nepali consciousness.This book captures the daring political campaigns of these rebel women; at the same time it asks us to acknowledge their impact on contemporary feminist thinking. Like many revolutionaries these women were vilified in their lifetimes. This book exposes the true nature of these leaders’ intelligence, sacrifices, and vision during an era of social and economic oppression in this part of Asia. After Nepal moved from absolute monarchy to a fledgling democracy and a reevaluation of these pioneers became possible, and Dr. Aziz adds to a wider public discussion of their legacies.
Paperback edition is available in the US on Amazon and in Nepal through Mandala Book Point.
