Tales of Justice and Rituals of Divine Embodiment
Oral Narratives from the Central Himalayas
Aditya Malik
Reviews and Awards
"[an] insightful ethnography ... This book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on possession and healing." - Smita Tewari Jassal, Contributions to Indian Sociology
"Like many books written over an extended period, Tales of Justice and Rituals of Divine Embodiment appears to have emerged into form through prior essays: five of the seven chapters are adapted and extended from other publications, and each chapter carries a separate bibliography. The book could be taught not just as a whole, but in selected chapters for graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on such topics as South Asian religion, the anthropology of religion, the anthropology of justice, and phenomenological anthropology." - The Journal of Asian Studies
"...the book is fascinating, beautifully written, and offers a wealth of ethnographic material that would excite the envy of anthropologists, and engage South Asianists, folklorists, philosophers, Religious Studies scholars, historians, and general readers." - Anthropos
"Enriched by extensive detailed descriptions. The book is fascinating, beautifully written, and offers a wealth of ethnographic material that would excite the envy of anthropologists, and engage South Asianists, folklorists, philosophers, Religious Studies scholars, historians, and general readers." - Marcia S. Calkowski, Anthropos 112.2017
"Tales of Justice is a compelling, powerful and at times moving ethnographic study, which will provide food for thought to those interested in Eastern traditions of storytelling, in spirit possession and ecstasy, and in how such phenomena are woven into the texture of human life." - Valentin Gerlier, Temenos Academy Review
"[A] major and a highly welcome contribution to the study of oral traditions and religious practice in general, of South Asia in particular." - John Leavitt, Asian Ethnologist
"The enquiry is enlivened by Malik's literary narrative presentation." - Stéphane Arguillère, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies