Tab Article

ratings: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Genre: Sociology / Gender Studies / Religious Studies / Sri Lankan Studies

Book Review:
Dr. Selvy Thiruchandran's Writing Religion: Locating Women is a pioneering and deeply insightful study that asks a vital question: why are more women than men joining New Religious Movements (NRMs) in contemporary Sri Lanka? This phenomenon, barely visible two decades ago, has become a significant social trend, and Thiruchandran brings her considerable expertise as a gender studies scholar to bear on understanding it. The book explores whether women are finding new forms of agency and power in these movements, or whether they are responding to needs and impulses that have always been associated with femininity. It also examines the role of economic factors and social construction in shaping these movements. What makes this study particularly valuable is its intersectional approach: it looks at women's religious experiences across ethnicities and religions, asking whether patriarchal structures are being challenged or reinforced. Thiruchandran, the Executive Director of the Women's Education and Research Centre (WERC) and editor of the journal Nivedini, writes with both scholarly rigor and a deep commitment to understanding women's lives. The book offers tentative rather than definitive answers, but that's part of its strength—it opens up a conversation that has been long overdue. Essential reading for anyone interested in gender, religion, and social change in Sri Lanka.