Hare Krishna Transformed (The New and Alternative Religions Series)
Longtime Hare Krishna observer Rochford (a professor of sociology and religion at Middlebury College) shows that devotees, formerly known for their public chanting and controversial fund-raising practices, have largely moved out of the temples, taken jobs and established nuclear families. Using survey data and extensive interviews, Rochford investigates the attitudes of the original members' children (some of whom suffered abuse in the early Hare Krishna schools), the changing roles of women, differing modes of affiliation with the organization and the increasing influence of Indian Hindu immigrants in what is formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). His findings are generally clear and convincing, and he lets the devotees speak for themselves in frequent quotes. Rochford tends to discuss trends within ISKCON without much consideration for the cultural and political context of the last two decades, and he misses opportunities to draw connections between changes within ISKCON and the larger society; for example, internal debates about the interpretation and authority of scriptures certainly mirror conflicts taking place in mainstream American (and world) religion today. But this story of accommodation within a movement that forged its identity through strict rejection of secular culture provides valuable insight into how new religions evolve.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.