Ancient Indian text about social conduct, gender relations, and human sexuality
Question:This assignment is to analyse a primary source which is the vatsyana’s kama sutra.
The analysis should 1) situate the source historically and 2) offer a close reading of its contents. Thus, the paper should move between the general and the specific, the common and the particular. For historical context, students need only demonstrate familiarity with the information available in assigned course materials. In other words, outside research is not required and careful speculation is allowed to address gaps in knowledge. In fact, students should focus on developing and communicating their own thoughts about the source. It will be helpful to consider the following questions:
Who produced the source? When, where, how, why, and for whom? What form does it take? What are its assumptions? What trends in thought does it engage? What language and terminology does it use? What is typical about the source? What is unusual? How might the source’s reception or influence be assessed? Altogether, what historical insight can be gained from it?
