Modern Hinduism in Text and Context

Lavanya Vemsani is Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Shawnee State University, USA. She is Editor-in-Chief of American Journal of Indic Studies and Associate Editor of the Journal of South Asian Religious History.

1. Introduction, Lavanya Vemsani (Shawnee State University, USA)
Part One: Traditional Hinduism: Classical Texts, Traditions, and Practices
2. Multi-Regional and Multi-Linguistic Virasaivism: Change and Continuity in an Early Devotional Tradition, Elaine Fisher (Stanford University, USA)
3. Entering the South Asian City: Pravesa in Literature and Religion, Michael Baltutis (University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, USA)
4. Demonic Devotees and Symbolism of Violence in Hindu Literature, Carl Olson (Allegheny College, USA)
5. Sacred Groves: The Playground of the Gods, Deepak Shimkhada and Jason Mitchell (Claremont School of Theology, USA)
6. Religious Symbolism of Sacrificial Blood in Contemporary Political Art: Myth and Art in Tamil Popular Culture, Amy-Ruth Holt (Independent Scholar)
Part Two: Hinduism in the Modern World: Colonial, Diasporic and Women’s Religion
7. Rite of Passage in India’s National Struggle: Understanding Ravindranath Tagore’s Gora in the context of Religion, Lavanya Vemsani (Shawnee State University, USA)
8. America, the Superlative, and India, the Jewel in the Crown: Religious Ideologies, Transnationalism, and the End of the Raj, Deborah A. Logan (Western Kentucky University, USA)
9. The Integral Yoga of the Sri Aurobindo Asram: Gender, Spirituality, and the Arts,
Patrick Beldio (Catholic University of America, USA)
10. In Relationship with the Goddess: Women Interpreting Leadership Roles and Shaping Diasporic Identities, Nanette R. Spina (University of Georgia, USA)
11. Spirituality and Ritual in Odissi Dance: Health, Healing, and Ritual in a Diaspora Performance Tradition, Kaustavi Sarkar (University of North Carolina, USA)
12. A Mandal of Their Own: Gender and the Reimagining of Community by Hindu Renouncers in North India, Antoinette E. DeNapoli (Texas Christian University, USA)
13. Conclusion, Lavanya Vemsani (Shawnee State University, USA
List of Figures
List of Appendices
GlossaryIndex