Author Description

Product DescriptionCeremonies marking birth, female puberty, marriage, and death are among the most important public events in the lives of many South Asian people. Anthony Good begins his comparative study by describing such ceremonies in Tirunelveli, South India where female puberty rites mimic weddings, and involve the "female bridegrooms" of his title. Every high-caste family aims to protect its caste status bu controlling ritually the sexual activity of its female members, and Dr. Good argues that the rituals he describes reflect localized modes of inheritance, in their regional context. He demonstrates how ideas about female sexuality are represented in worship and mythology and brings out the significance of the diverse ritual practices discussed in earlier parts of the book by placing them in the context of a single cultural framework.Review'the book is an interesting contribution to our knowledge of Tamil rites and their relation to the social structure' Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi, Anthropos 87, 1992`A good scholarly work is always good reading and hence pleasurable... The index is exhaustive including English and Tamil words and this is in addition to an adequate glossary. All of which makes it an informative scholarly text and a must for all institutions that include sociology, anthropology and religion in their course of instruction.' Sunday Free Press`a comparative study of life-crisis rituals in South India and Sri Lanka... The symbolic and religious features of these rituals and ceremonies are presented meticulously and in detail. The text is well-documented with tables, diagrams, sketches, photographs and maps.' Indian Review of BooksAbout the AuthorAnthony Good, Lecturer, Department of Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh.