@article{779882,
      recid = {779882},
      author = {Spina, Nanette R.,},
      title = {Women's authority and leadership in a Hindu goddess  tradition /},
      pages = {1 online resource.},
      abstract = {This book investigates women’s ritual authority and the  common boundaries between religion and notions of gender,  ethnicity, and identity. Nanette R. Spina situates her  study within the transnational Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi  movement established by the Tamil Indian guru, Bangaru  Adigalar. One of the most prominent, defining elements of  this tradition is that women are privileged with positions  of leadership and ritual authority. This represents an  extraordinary shift from orthodox tradition in which  religious authority has been the exclusive domain of male  Brahmin priests. Presenting historical and contemporary  perspectives on the transnational Adhiparasakthi  organization, Spina analyzes women’s roles and means of  expression within the tradition. The book takes a close  look at the Adhiparasakthi society in Toronto, Canada (a  Hindu community in both its transnational and diasporic  dimensions), and how this Canadian temple has both shaped  and demonstrated their own diasporic Hindu identity. The  Toronto Adhiparasakthi society illustrates how Goddess  theology, women's ritual authority, and “inclusivity”  ethics have dynamically shaped the identity of this  prominent movement overseas. Based on years of ethnographic  fieldwork, the volume draws the reader into the rich  textures of culture, community, and ritual life with the  Goddess. .},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/779882},
}