When the World Becomes Female
Guises of a South Indian Goddess
Joyce Burkhalter Flueckiger author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Indiana University Press
Published:23rd Jul '13
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Gender reshaped in a Hindu goddess festival
Argues that within the festival of the goddess Gangamma ultimate reality is imagined as female
During the goddess Gangamma's festival in the town of Tirupati, lower-caste men take guises of the goddess, and the streets are filled with men wearing saris, braids, and female jewelry. By contrast, women participate by intensifying the rituals they perform for Gangamma throughout the year, such as cooking and offering food. Joyce Burkhalter Flueckiger argues that within the festival ultimate reality is imagined as female and women identify with the goddess, whose power they share. Vivid accounts by male and female participants offer new insights into Gangamma's traditions and the nature of Hindu village goddesses.
When the World Becomes Female is a great addition to the academic literature on South Asian religious, ritual, devotional, and goddess traditions. It is accessible enough for use in undergraduate courses on the same or as an example of ethnographic methodology. It is always in-depth enough for graduate courses and as a resource for scholars' and universities' libraries.
* newbooks.asia *Joyce B. Flueckiger's new book When the World Becomes Female . . . is a rich and colorful analysis of the goddess Gangamma's festival and her devotees.7/3/15
* New Books in South Asian Studies *[Joyce Flueckiger addresses] directly questions of the relationships between a goddess and her devotees, and the ways that those devotees play with gender.April 2015
* H-Asia *This is a carefully crafted ethnography on the South Indian festival of the village goddess Gangamma in the pilgrimage town of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. . . . Recommended.
* ChoiISBN: 9780253009562
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 454g
336 pages