For many people in the West, the word ‘tantric’ conjures thoughts of extraordinarily lengthy sex sessions – perhaps involving the musician Sting – or yoga. But this oversimplified and often commercialised popular understanding of Tantra belies a subversive philosophy that challenges stereotypes of womanhood. In this video from the British Museum, the curator Imma Ramos takes viewers on a tour of the exhibition ‘Tantra: Enlightenment to Revolution’, tracing Tantra from its roots in 6th-century India up until today. In doing so, Ramos touches on how Tantra’s philosophy of divine feminine power has influenced Hinduism and Buddhism, India’s independence movement, and modern artistic thought and feminist practice.
Video by the British Museum
video
Politics and government
‘Without a poster, you don’t exist!’ – on the curious political banners of Mumbai
20 minutes
video
Global history
The famed medieval map that stretched beyond Earth to heaven, history and myth
5 minutes
video
Design and fashion
Household items are reborn in a ‘visual symphony of everyday objects’
11 minutes
video
Human rights and justice
Meet the man who uncovered the scandal of nuclear testing in South Australia
13 minutes
video
Thinkers and theories
Jeremy Bentham was consumed by creating a perfect prison. Here’s the result
4 minutes
video
Global history
The strange journey of the Parthenon Marbles to the British Museum
10 minutes
video
Animals and humans
Laura fights to protect the magnificence of wild horses running free
6 minutes
video
Film and visual culture
The old-time cinema experience endures in a quiet corner of Japan
5 minutes
video
Space exploration
Burning ice, metal clouds, gemstone rain – tour the strangest known exoplanets
31 minutes