
Tales of Justice and Rituals of Divine Embodiment
Oral Narratives from the Central Himalayas
Aditya Malik(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 13. June 2016
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-19-932509-2 (ISBN)
Description
Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the Central Himalayan region of Kumaon, Tales of Justice and Rituals of Divine Embodiment from the Central Himalayas explores ideas of justice by drawing on oral and written narratives, stories, testimonies, and rituals told and performed in relation to the 'God of Justice', Goludev, and other regional deities. The book seeks to answer several questions: How is the concept of justice defined in South
Asia? Why do devotees seek out Goludev for the resolution of matters of justice instead of using the secular courts? What are the sociological and political consequences of situating divine justice within a secular, democratic, modern context? Moreover, how do human beings locate themselves within the
indeterminateness and struggles of their everyday existence? What is the place of language and ritual in creating intimacy and self? How is justice linked to intimacy, truth, and being human?
The stories and narratives in this book revolve around Goludev's own story and deeds, as well as hundreds of petitions (manauti) written on paper that devotees hang on his temple walls, and rituals (jagar) that involve spirit possession and the embodiment of the deity through designated mediums. The jagars are powerful, extraordinary experiences, mesmerizing because of their intensity but also because of what they imply in terms of how we conceptualize being
being human with the seemingly limitless potential to shift, alter, and transform ourselves through language and ritual practice. The petitions, though silent and absent of the singing, drumming, and choreography that accompany jagars, are equally powerful because of their candid and intimate testimony to the aspirations, breakdowns,
struggles, and breakthroughs that circumscribe human existence.
Asia? Why do devotees seek out Goludev for the resolution of matters of justice instead of using the secular courts? What are the sociological and political consequences of situating divine justice within a secular, democratic, modern context? Moreover, how do human beings locate themselves within the
indeterminateness and struggles of their everyday existence? What is the place of language and ritual in creating intimacy and self? How is justice linked to intimacy, truth, and being human?
The stories and narratives in this book revolve around Goludev's own story and deeds, as well as hundreds of petitions (manauti) written on paper that devotees hang on his temple walls, and rituals (jagar) that involve spirit possession and the embodiment of the deity through designated mediums. The jagars are powerful, extraordinary experiences, mesmerizing because of their intensity but also because of what they imply in terms of how we conceptualize being
being human with the seemingly limitless potential to shift, alter, and transform ourselves through language and ritual practice. The petitions, though silent and absent of the singing, drumming, and choreography that accompany jagars, are equally powerful because of their candid and intimate testimony to the aspirations, breakdowns,
struggles, and breakthroughs that circumscribe human existence.
Reviews / Votes
"Malik's vivid ethnography brims with superb theoretical reflections on self, being, embodiment, possession, and modernity in the context of the ritual and narrative performances of justice commemoration and realization. Engaging and creative, this fine book is a must read for scholars focusing on the interdisciplinary study of justice and, more generally, working in the fields of anthropology, philosophy, history, and religious studies." --Lindsey B. Harlan, Professor of Religious Studies, Connecticut College "Aditya Malik offers a rare, serious, protracted conversation between an intimate ethnographic description of a regional Hindu deity's devotees and philosophical questions inherent within the human condition. These questions concern suffering, embodiment, and quests for justice both cosmological and personal." --Ann Grodzins Gold, Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Professor of Anthropology, Syracuse University "This is a powerful book. The petitions offered to Goludev by people from different castes and classes, in a variety of languages including English, are absolutely fascinating. That a folk deity should serve as a court of justice in the manner of a modern judicial system is totally amazing. The book is going to make an important mark in the world of our thinking. It will be used by anthropologists, South Asianists, scholars of Religious Studies, folklorists, philosophers, and lay readers. Perhaps for the first time it will bring scholars of rural cultures into conversation with social thinkers and will be seen as a breakthrough in the scholarship related to human societies." --Velcheru Narayana Rao, Visweswara Rao and Sita Koppaka Chair in Telugu Literature, History and Culture, Emory University "With this study, Malik adds to the writings on lesser-known regional deities on the South Asian subcontinent. Although an increasing number of authors focus on local or regional deities-the deities of the 'little tradition' in contrast to the better known deities of the 'great tradition'-there are still many Hindu deities about whom we know nothing. Hence, Malik positions his work within a broader context of studies on Hindu devotion and enhances our knowledge not only of the little tradition, but also of non-institutional justice." -- Reading ReligionMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
643 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-932509-2 (9780199325092)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Aditya Malik
Tales of Justice and Rituals of Divine Embodiment
Oral Narratives from the Central Himalayas
Book
07/2016
Oxford University Press Inc
€28.46
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Aditya Malik
Tales of Justice and Rituals of Divine Embodiment
Oral Narratives from the Central Himalayas
E-Book
05/2016
1st Edition
Oxford University Press
€224.53
Available for download

Aditya Malik
Tales of Justice and Rituals of Divine Embodiment
Oral Narratives from the Central Himalayas
E-Book
05/2016
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€68.99
Available for download
Person
Aditya Malik is Professor and Dean of the School of Historical Studies at Nalanda University.
Author
Professor and Dean, School of Historical StudiesProfessor and Dean, School of Historical Studies, Nalanda University, India