Path of Desire

Hugh B. Urban is College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor at the Ohio State University. He is the author of numerous books including Secrecy: Silence, Power, and Religion, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

"Urban’s exploration of the depictions and expressions of gender and sexuality within Tantra is especially valuable, and he uses it to illustrate one of the ways in which the study of lived and living religion—including Tantra—can be informed by dialogues between South Asian, North American, and European perspectives. . . . While the arguments throughout the book are compelling and supported with valuable data, perhaps the most striking findings have to do with the very complex relationships between Tantra and Hindu nationalism. These discussions may be the most valuable to scholars not only of Tantra in the context of India but also of the economic, cultural, and political dimensions of the modern Hindu nationalist movement."

• List of Figures and TablesIntroduction. The Path of Desire: Living Tantra, Vernacular Religion, and the Study of SecretsChapter 1. The Left-Hand Path: Secrecy, Transgression, and the Kaula Tradition in AssamChapter 2. “The Land of Black Magic”: Healing, Enchantment, and WitchcraftChapter 3. The Politics of Sacrifice: Blood Offerings and the Struggle over Local and National Identity in Modern IndiaChapter 4. Dancing for the Snake: Possession, Performance, and Gender in Manasā PūjāChapter 5. “The Cradle of Tantra”: Modern Transformations of a Tantric Center from Nationalist Symbol to Tourist DestinationChapter 6. “Sinister Tāntriks”: Tantra in Popular Culture, Fiction, and FilmConclusions. The Path of Desire in the Age of Capital: Living Tantra in the Context of Globalization and NeoliberalismAcknowledgments and EntanglementsNotesSelected BibliographyIndex