Women's Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition

1. Auflage 2017
ISBN: 978-1-137-58908-8
Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan

Buch, Englisch, 327 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 5459 g

This book investigates women’s ritual authority and the common boundaries between religion and notions of gender, ethnicity, and identity. Nanette R. Spina situates her study within the transnational Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi movement established by the Tamil Indian guru, Bangaru Adigalar. One of the most prominent, defining elements of this tradition is that women are privileged with positions of leadership and ritual authority. This represents an extraordinary shift from orthodox tradition in which religious authority has been the exclusive domain of male Brahmin priests. Presenting historical and contemporary perspectives on the transnational Adhiparasakthi  organization, Spina analyzes women’s roles and means of expression within the tradition. The book takes a close look at the Adhiparasakthi society in Toronto, Canada (a Hindu community in both its transnational and diasporic dimensions), and how this Canadian temple has both shaped and demonstrated their own diasporic Hindu identity. The Toronto Adhiparasakthi society illustrates how Goddess theology, women's ritual authority, and “inclusivity” ethics have dynamically shaped the identity of this prominent movement overseas. 
Based on years of ethnographic fieldwork, the volume draws the reader into the rich textures of culture, community, and ritual life with the Goddess. 

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Spina, Nanette R.

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Kulturwissenschaften
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Hinduismus Hinduismus: Kult, Riten, Zeremonien
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Hinduismus Hinduismus: Leben & Praxis, Soziale Aspekte
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionssoziologie und -psychologie, Spiritualität, Mystik
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Gender Studies, Geschlechtersoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction.- Part I. The Community and Temple.- 1. The Canadian Setting.- 2. Migration.- 3. The Temple Community.- 4. The Toronto Temple.- 5. Daily Rituals and Religious Festivals.- Part II. Women’s Leadership.- 6. Tradition.- 7. Innovation.- 8. Women’s Authority.- 9. Women’s Voices, Women’s Transitions.- Conclusion. 

Über Autor(innen)

Nanette R. Spina is Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Georgia, USA. Her research interests include Hindu traditions in India, Sri Lanka, and North America. She utilizes historical and ethnographic research methods, and has conducted field studies among religious communities in South Asia and North America including an extensive field study in Toronto, Canada. Her research focuses on Hindu traditions, religion and migration, and religion and gender.