Resumo

ALEJO SCIURANO, Guido; ALQUEZAR, Micaela Belén  e  MELAMUD, Manuel. Voices of Equality and Difference in Soka Buddhism: Gender as a Paradox. Debate fem. [online]. 2022, vol.64, pp.189-211.  Epub 20-Maio-2023. ISSN 2594-066X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/cieg.2594066xe.2022.64.2265.

This paper explores the ways practitioners of Soka Buddhism in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires conceive and evaluate gender and the (re)production of its stereotypes within spiritual practice. Between 2018 and 2020, multiple interviews and participant observations were conducted in various ethnographic foci, where we found that the organization and dynamics of Soka are criticized depending on how the paradoxical effects of equality and difference (re)produced by the institution are evaluated. There is a tension between the affirmation of equality -conducive to the autonomy of women- and the traditional categories used to achieve it. Differences that reaffirm gender stereotypes are criticized, but the containment provided in exclusively female spaces to address specific problems is valued. The various perspectives that coexist among practitioners on gender debates constitute another manifestation of pluralism within the practice.

Palavras-chave : Gender; Buddhism; Soka Gakkai; Argentina.