Revelry, Rivalry, and Longing for the Goddesses of Bengal

Rachel Fell McDermott is professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures at Barnard College. Her books include Singing to the Goddess: Poems to Kali and Uma from Bengal and Encountering Kali: In the Margins, at the Center, in the West.

This is a book of superior, indeed pristine scholarship that significantly advances our knowledge on a number of fronts, historical and theoretical. What is so artful about this particular work is the way it handles multiple, sometimes abstract theoretical issues (iconography, ritual theory, colonial history, mythology, postcolonial theory, sacrifice, censorship, poster art, prostitution, environmentalism, and diaspora and immigration studies) through very concrete historical details and, most important, a single, overarching historical narrative spanning some three to four centuries. This is a truly comprehensive book, and it will become the definitive study of the subject. -- Jeffrey J. Kripal, Rice University, author of Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred McDermott's pioneering study is a scholarly achievement that is impressive, enlightening and enjoyable to read. -- Chris J. Fuller Pacific Affairs McDermott's Revelry, Rivalry, and Longing is a wonderful book that thoroughly presents the development of three of the most important festivals in Bengal. Journal of Hindu Studies

• List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Notes on Transliteration Introduction 1. P?j? Origins and Elite Politics 2. The Goddess in Colonial and Postcolonial History 3. Durg? the Daughter: Folk and Familial Traditions 4. The Artistry of Durg? and Jagaddh?tr? 5. Durg? on the Titanic: Politics and Religion in the P?j? 6. The "Orientalist" K?l?: A Tantric Icon Comes Alive 7. Approaches to K?l? P?j? in Bengal 8. Controversies and the Goddess 9. Dev? in the Diaspora Conclusion Appendix: An Overview of the Press in Bengal up to 1947 Notes Bibliography Index