Imagining the Fetus the Unborn in Myth, Religion, and Culture : The Unborn in Myth, Religion, and Culture

In contemporary Western culture, the word "fetus" introduces either a political subject or a literal, medicalized entity. Neither of these frameworks does justice to the vast array of religious literature and oral traditions from cultures around the world in which the fetus emerges as a powerful symbol or metaphor. This volume presents essays that explore the depiction of the fetus in the world's major religious traditions, finding some striking commonalities as well as intriguing differences. Among the themes that emerge is the tendency to conceive of the fetus as somehow independent of the mother's body -- as in the case of the Buddha, who is described as inhabiting a palace while gestating in the womb. On the other hand, the fetus can also symbolically represent profound human needs and emotions, such as the universal experience of vulnerability. The authors note how the advent of the fetal sonogram has transformed how people everywhere imagine the unborn today, giving rise to a narrow range of decidedly literal questions about personhood, gender, and disability. This Volume Presents Essays That Explore The Depiction Of The Fetus In The World's Major Religious Traditions, Finding Some Striking Commonalities As Well As Intriguing Differences. Introduction: Restoring Nuance To Imagining Of The Fetus -- The Story Of Samkarsana's And K.r.s.na's Births : A Drama Involving Embryos -- The Great Men Of Jainism In Utero: A Survey -- A Womb With A View : The Buddha's Final Fetal Experiences -- Life In The Womb : Conception And Gestation In Buddhist Scripture And Classical Indian Medical Literature -- Philosophical Embryology : Buddhist Texts And The Ritual Construction Of A Fetus -- Tibetan Buddhist Narratives Of The Forces Of Creation -- Female Feticide In The Punjab And Fetus Imagery In Sikhism -- Embryology In Babylonia And The Bible -- The Leaping Child : Imagining The Unborn In Early Christian Literature -- Famous Fetuses In Rabbinic Narratives -- A Prophet Emerging : Fetal Narratives In Islamic Literature -- The Colossal Fetuses Of La Venta And Mesoamerica' Earliest Creation Story -- Out Of Place : Fetal References In Japanese Mythology And Cultural Memory -- Seeing Like A Family : Fetal Ultrasound Images And Imaginings Of Kin. Edited By Vanessa R. Sasson And Jane Marie Law. American Academy Of Religion. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Imagining the Fetus seeks to take the topic of the fetus well beyond its usual conversational contexts. This book acknowledges and explores the fact that the fetus has been the subject of imagination throughout much of human history and culture, occupying a vast array of roles and representing such themes as inclusion, emergence, and transformation. The essays in this volume analyze the depiction of the fetus in the world's major religious traditions, finding some striking commonalities as well as intriguing differences. Among the findings that emerge is the tendency to conceive of the fetus as somehow independent of the mother's body-as in the case of the Buddha, who is described as inhabiting a palace while gestating in the womb. However, the fetus can also represent profound human needs and emotions, such as the universal experience of vulnerability. The contributors note how the advent of the fetal sonogram has transformed the ways in which people everywhere imagine the unborn today, giving rise to a narrow range of decidedly literal questions about personhood, gender, and disability Annotation In contemporary Western culture, the word "fetus" introduces either a political subject or a literal, medicalized entity. Neither of these frameworks does justice to the vast array of religious literature and oral traditions from cultures around the world in which the fetus emerges as apowerful symbol or metaphor. This volume presents essays that explore the depiction of the fetus in the world's major religious traditions, finding some striking commonalities as well as intriguing differences. Among the themes that emerge is the tendency to conceive of the fetus as somehowindependent of the mother's body -- as in the case of the Buddha, who is described as inhabiting a palace while gestating in the womb. On the other hand, the fetus can also symbolically represent profound human needs and emotions, such as the universal experience of vulnerability. The authors notehow the advent of the fetal sonogram has transformed how people everywhere imagine the unborn today, giving rise to a narrow range of decidedly literal questions about personhood, gender, and disability Introduction: Restoring nuance to the imagination of the fetus The Hindu story of Samkarsana's and K.R.S.Na's births : a drama involving embryos The great men of Jainism in utero A womb with a view : the Buddha's final fetal experiences Life in the womb : conception and gestation in Buddhist scripture & classical Indian medical literature Philosophical embryology : Buddhist texts and the ritual construction of a fetus Tibetan Buddhist narratives of the forces of creation Feticide in the Punjab and fetus imagery in sikhism Embryology in the ancient Near East Famous fetuses in Rabbinic literature The leaping child : imagining the unborn in early Christian literature A prophet emerging : fetal narratives in Islamic literature The colossal fetuses of la venta and mesoamerica' earliest creation story Out of place : fetal references in Japanese mythology and cultural memory. Throughout, the contributors of this volume seek to restore nuance to the symbol of the fetus, liberating it from its stultifying associations with abortion or embryonic stem cell research, in the hopes that it might reclaim its role as a signifier of greater and more complex human emotions, dilemmas, and aspirations. Imagining the Fetus promises to transform any reader's understanding of this word and what it represents In the current North American climate, the word "fetus" usually either evokes turbulent political issues or refers to a medicalized entity. However, these associations belie the extraordinary range of religious literature and oral traditions throughout the world in which the fetus features centrally as a powerful symbol or metaphor