Immolating Women: A Global History of Widow Burning from Ancient Times to the Present

Widow Burning In India, Also Known As Sati, Has Been For Centuries A Widely Known And Hotly Debated Phenomenon, Both Inside And Outside The Country. But Its More Universal Anthropological, Religious, Social And Political Contexts Have Been Neglected. In This Book, Sati Is Studied For The First Time In A Really Global Context. It Is Considered As One Among Many Manifestations Of Following Into Death Within A Ritualized And Public Act, Voluntarily Or Involuntarily. The Decisive Feature Is Thus Not The Manner Of Dying, But The Function And The Intent: That Is, To Accompany A Dead Person Into The Hereafter. The Custom Is Shown To Have Existed In Various Forms In Most Parts Of The World And To Have Combined Strong Beliefs In The Hereafter With Power Struggles In This World, Both Between The Sexes And Between Social Groups.