The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant.: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

This wide-ranging report from the front lines of ISKCON after the death of its charismatic founder, Bhaktivedanta, contains twentyfour articles, not including an “Introduction” and “Closing Reflections” by the editors. Most of the authors are former or present ISKCON members who have become scholars and are not afraid to confront the ghosts of the past, or even the ghosts of the present. This is what makes this book so riveting. Rarely have committed members of a movement, especially one with declining numbers or dramatically shifting demographics such as ISKCON, been willing and able to examine both the movement and their lives in such an honest and open manner. As such, I believe this book will receive broad distribution among ISKCON devotees, lay readers with spiritual interests, and scholars. It will also be used in whole or in part in university classes on new religious movements, diaspora South Asian religion, and so on.