Religion Against the Self: An Ethnography of Tamil Rituals

Oxford - New York - Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2000. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Minor lean to the spine, very little wear overall. Text is clean. 'In this study of South Indian village Hinduism, [the author] documents and analyzes rituals performed by what she calls 'congregations of suffering' and 'congregations of kinship.' She looks at the expertise, motivation, and predilection of those who participate in these rituals and attempts to explain their transformations. Her comprehensive and original analysis shows how Tamil rituals reframe personal and interpersonal identities both in this world and in the hereafter. Drawing on her own fieldwork in rural Tamilnadu, [she] explores the core process underlying initiatic visions and rituals of divination, countersorcery, exorcism, investiture, and sacrifice.' 230 pages..