Awards

• Winner of 2019 Winner of the AAR Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion (Textual Studies category).
• Winner of Winner of the AAR Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion: Textual Studies.

Overview

Reciting the Goddess presents the first critical study of the Svasthanivratakatha (SVK), a sixteenth-century Hindu narrative textual tradition. The extensive SVK manuscript tradition offers a rare opportunity to observe the making of a specific, distinct Hindu religious tradition. Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz argues that the SVK serves as a lens through which we can observe the creation of modern 'Hinduism' in the Himalayas, as the text both mirrored and informed key moments in the self-conscious creation of Nepal as the 'world's only Hindu kingdom' in the late medieval and early modern period. Birkenholtz mines the literary historiography that is contained within the SVK text itself, chronicling the text's literary and narrative development as well as the development of the Svasthani goddess tradition. She outlines the process whereby the SVK gradually transformed into a Purana text, and became a critical source for Nepali Hindu belief and identity. She also examines the elusive character of the goddess Svasthani whose identity is tied to the pan-Hindu goddess tradition, and the representation of women in the SVK and the ways in which the text influenced local and regional debates on the ideal of Hindu womanhood. Reciting the Goddess presents Nepal's celebrated SVK as a micro-level illustration of the powerful ways in which people, place, and literature intersect to produce new ideas and concepts of identity and place, even in a historically non-literate culture.

Full Product Details

9780199341160

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Reviews

Svasthani -simultaneously goddess, text, and ritual practice-is a unique Nepali Hindu tradition. In this important and eagerly anticipated study, Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz brings her skills as textual historian and ethnographer to bear on its history, origins, and contemporary significance. Indispensable for the history and culture of Nepal, the volume will also appeal to anyone interested in regional Hinduism or ritual traditions. --David N. Gellner, Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Oxford In tracing the emergence of a Goddess tradition in Nepal, Birkenholtz makes a ground-breaking contribution not only to South Asian Studies, but to the field of Religion in general. The socio-political influences that have contributed to the Goddess Svasthani's rise from an obscure local deity to the dominant religious expression in Nepal are not only hugely relevant to how we can understand the emergence of the great pan-Indian Puranic traditions of Siva, Vishnu, and the major Goddess forms, but to the evolutionary nature of religious traditions in general. --Edwin Bryant, Professor of Hinduism, Rutgers University Reciting the Goddess uses the Svasthani tradition as a window to see socio-cultural realities of pre-modern and modern Nepal, and even beyond. Jessica Birkenholtz highlights the role women play as protagonists in the narratives and participants in the ritual. She sheds light on the interrelation of Sanskrit, Newar, and Nepali, three of the culturally most important languages of Nepal, and skillfully describes how the Newar language represents the local perspective whereas the Nepali language represents a regional perspective. In short, this is an excellent book and deserves praise. --Diwakar Acharya, Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics, University of Oxford

""I have no criticisms of this book, just awe for the magnitude of the work involved!... And now, as of 2018, the goddess is made known in an insightful, beautifully written scholarly book that widens her reach to those outside her place. As one of those people, I am most grateful to Jessica Vatine Birkenholtz."" -- Rachel McDermott, Barnard College ""Overall, this is a well-written and well-researched volume that offers much to those interested in Nepali Hinduism, the Hindu goddess tradition, ritual studies, and the sociocultural dynamics of a staunchly Hindu Nepal. While Birkenholtz thoroughly explains and contextualizes her arguments, this work is best suited for those familiar with the goddess traditions of the Bhakti movement and their manifestations across the Hindu diaspora."" -- Ajay Dave, The University of Texas at Dallas, Journal of Dharma Studies ""a well-written and well-researched volume that offers much to those interested in Nepali Hinduism, the Hindu goddess tradition, ritual studies, and the sociocultural dynamics of a staunchly Hindu Nepal."" -- Ajay Dave, Journal of Dharma Studies ""Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz presents the first critical study of the Svast=an=ivratakath=a (SVK), the textual tradition of the Hindu goddess Svasth=an=i. Birkenholtz provides both a textual-historical as well as an ethnographic study, encompassing the many faces of one of the most popular religious traditions in Nepal ... This careful critical study deserves all the attention it can get."" --Dolores Zoé Bertschinger, Reading Religion ""Svasthani -simultaneously goddess, text, and ritual practice-is a unique Nepali Hindu tradition. In this important and eagerly anticipated study, Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz brings her skills as textual historian and ethnographer to bear on its history, origins, and contemporary significance. Indispensable for the history and culture of Nepal, the volume will also appeal to anyone interested in regional Hinduism or ritual traditions.""--David N. Gellner, Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Oxford ""In tracing the emergence of a Goddess tradition in Nepal, Birkenholtz makes a ground-breaking contribution not only to South Asian Studies, but to the field of Religion in general. The socio-political influences that have contributed to the Goddess Svasthani's rise from an obscure local deity to the dominant religious expression in Nepal are not only hugely relevant to how we can understand the emergence of the great pan-Indian Puranic traditions of Siva, Vishnu, and the major Goddess forms, but to the evolutionary nature of religious traditions in general.""--Edwin Bryant, Professor of Hinduism, Rutgers University ""Reciting the Goddess uses the Svasthani tradition as a window to see socio-cultural realities of pre-modern and modern Nepal, and even beyond. Jessica Birkenholtz highlights the role women play as protagonists in the narratives and participants in the ritual. She sheds light on the interrelation of Sanskrit, Newar, and Nepali, three of the culturally most important languages of Nepal, and skillfully describes how the Newar language represents the local perspective whereas the Nepali language represents a regional perspective. In short, this is an excellent book and deserves praise.""--Diwakar Acharya, Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics, University of Oxford

Author Information

Dr. Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz is Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her areas of research include the comparative study of Hindu religious identity, practice, and literature from the medieval period to the present day, Hindu goddess traditions in Nepal and India, and gender and religion. She is co-editor of Religion and Modernity in the Himalaya and is the Reviews Editor for HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies.

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