Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition PDF
Preview Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition
Women’s Authority Leadership and Hindu Goddess Tradition in a Nanette R. Spina Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition Nanette R. Spina Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition Nanette R. Spina University of Georgia Athens, Georgia, USA ISBN 978-1-137-58908-8 ISBN 978-1-137-58909-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-58909-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016960040 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover image © Ignacio Perez Bayona / Alamy Stock Photo Cover design by Samantha Johnson Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Nature America Inc. The registered company address is: 1 New York Plaza, New York, NY 10004, U.S.A. N t otes oN raNsliteratioN Many of the terms have both Tamil and Sanskrit forms. Names of deities and most technical ritual terms are transliterated from the more readily recognizable Sanskrit forms. For a number of common terms, the Tamil equivalent has been provided in parentheses. Some Tamil word forms are similar to the Sanskrit form, but have an m at the end of the word (e.g., liṅga/liṅgam). Other names and terms, including the names of certain rituals at the Adhiparasakthi mandram are generally given their Tamil forms (some variants occur). Proper names and names of places have been written without diacritics to conform to their common English usage. The spelling for the title of the Adhiparasakthi tradition may also be translit- erated Āṭiparācakti in Tamil and Ādiparāśakti in Sanskrit. Here, I have chosen to follow the spelling that is commonly used by the Toronto man- dram and the Om Sakthi literature. v a ckNowledgmeNts As I contemplate the process of writing this book and all those remark- able people who have supported this work along the way, I am filled with immeasurable gratitude. This work would not have been possible without the generosity of the Toronto mandram devotees, Vasanthi, the man- dram president, and Sri Bangaru Adigalar. To Vasanthi and all of the many devotees in Toronto who have patiently shared their knowledge and expe- riences with me, those who brought me books from India and others who pointed out new avenues of learning during the research process, I am truly grateful–thank you. I am also especially grateful for the benefit of a Provost Grant from the University of Georgia in 2014 which supported my recent fieldwork and enabled me to further this research. During the years of research and writing, I have benefited from the intel- lectual support and insightful conversations of several scholars in Canada and the United States. To those who offered critical and insightful com- ments on earlier drafts, I thank Paul Younger, Celia E. Rothenberg, Kay Koppedrayer, Corinne Dempsey and Anders Runesson. I also benefitted greatly from engaged conversations and the erudition of colleagues includ- ing Karen Pechilis, Loriliai Biernacki, Vasudha Narayanan, Amy Allocco, Selva Raj, William Harman, Richard Mann, Anne Pearson, Eileen Schuler, and Shayne Clarke. Earlier research and parts of this manuscript appeared in my PhD dissertation in a different form under the direction of Paul Younger, whose critical eye and guidance have supported this journey from the start. I am especially grateful for his skill at balancing pedagogical instruction with the invaluable process of learning and discovery in the field. vii viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The book has benefited greatly from audiences’ responses and intel- lectual conversations over the years at the Conference on the Study of Religions of India and the American Academy of Religion. I am especially grateful for these interactions with learned colleagues whose insights have helped me to further explore various elements of my research. I also thank my colleagues at the University of Georgia for their encouragement, sup- port and insightful conversations while I was working on the book and those colleagues who read and commented on earlier aspects of the book project. I thank the editors at Palgrave Macmillan; it has been a privilege to work with editor Phil Getz and associate editors Alexis Nelson and Amy Invernizzi throughout this process. I also thank the anonymous readers for their engaged comments which helped to hone aspects of the manu- script. For their much appreciated technical assistance, I thank Therese A. Spina and Jessica Couch. I deeply appreciate the unwavering support of my family and friends in Canada and the United States, whose kindness has accompanied me through every stage of this journey. I am especially grateful to my parents, whose generosity and support have encouraged me beyond measure. Material from certain sections of this book have appeared in slightly dif- ferent form in the edited volume chapter entitled, “Women in Hinduism: Ritual Leadership in the Adhi Parasakthi Temple Society of Canada,” in Canadian Women Shaping Diasporic Religious Identities, edited by Becky R. Lee and Terry Tak-ling Woo and Becky R. Lee, Waterloo, ON: Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2016: 301–335. c oNteNts 1 Introduction 1 Part I The Community and Temple 27 2 The Historical Canadian Setting 29 3 Migration: Homeland and Diaspora 51 4 The Temple Community 99 5 The Toronto Temple 129 Part II Women’s Leadership 163 6 Devotional Worship 165 7 Innovation 199 ix x CONTENTS 8 Women and the Goddess 211 9 Indian and Sri Lankan Hindu Gender Expectations 237 10 Women’s Voices, Women’s Transitions 257 Conclusion 273 Glossary 283 Bibliography 289 Index 319 l f ist of igure Graph 2.1 Where immigrants settle in Canada 37 xi
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