Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition

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.

• 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.

“The book is accessibly written and will be of interest to a wide audience, including people researching religion and migration, new Hindu temples in North America, Goddess traditions, women’s ritual authority, and the dynamics of transnational religion today.” (Nanette R. Spina, Reading Religion, readingreligion.org, February, 2019)“This book is a welcome addition to the fields of gender, migration and diaspora, Hinduism, goddess traditions and religious studies amongst others, and will be of great benefit to students and scholars alike.” (Monika Hirmer, Religion & Gender, Vol. 8 (1), 2018)​