Fire, Chastity, and Honor: How Hindu Traditions Came to Police Women’s Sexuality

Across civilizations, one question has haunted patriarchal societies: who controls women’s bodies? From ancient Athens to medieval Europe, from Confucian China to the Abrahamic world, the regulation of female sexuality became a cornerstone of social order. Religion often supplied the language, symbols, and moral authority that transformed social anxieties into sacred duties. Hindu society was

Source: Fire, Chastity, and Honor: How Hindu Traditions Came to Police Women’s Sexuality