Date of Submission
Spring 2013
Academic Program
Anthropology
Project Advisor 1
Yuka Suzuki
Project Advisor 2
Abou Farman
Abstract/Artist's Statement
The sacred cow exists in contemporary America, if you know where to look: among Yogis and biodynamic farmers who invoke her meaning in Hinduism and recontextualize her into the modern moment. This project examines the multi-dimensional significance of taking raw milk as spiritual sacrament in a yoga community. Discourse on this practice invokes the Vedic sacred cow and the ethical imperative of cow protectionism- alternative practices that compel a critical reflection on normative ideologies of species, personhood, gender, and exchange.
Distribution Options
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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Mills, Alexandra Markakis, "Sacred in the Raw: Cows, Communion and Cosmology as Experienced by American Yogis through the Sacrament of Biodynamic Raw Milk" (2013). Senior Projects Spring 2013. 212.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2013/212
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