“Urban’s exploration of the depictions and expressions of gender and sexuality within Tantra is especially valuable, and he uses it to illustrate one of the ways in which the study of lived and living religion—including Tantra—can be informed by dialogues between South Asian, North American, European perspectives. . . . While the arguments throughout the book are compelling and supported with valuable data, perhaps the most striking findings have to do with the very complex relationships between Tantra and Hindu nationalism. These discussions may be the most valuable to scholars not only of Tantra in the context of India but also of the economic, cultural, and political dimensions of the modern Hindu nationalist movement.”
—Nova Religio
“Urban has done a remarkable job in documenting the changing role of Tantra in Northeast India. This book is an indispensable resource on Assamese Tantra and would benefit readers in combating widespread misinformation on the subject.”
—Journal of Folklore Research
“Set in the lush hills of northeast India among Hindu communities that practice diverse and sometimes transgressive rituals, this book is about desire, but it’s also about the path that may lead us through tangled webs of experience into well-being and beyond. Through well-crafted narrative and patient attention to daily life, Urban contributes a rich and detailed analysis of texts, histories, rituals, and sensibilities.”
—Paul Courtright, Emory University
“This engaging book opens new vistas in the study of living Tantric traditions. It shows how Tantra is embedded in concrete social realities, especially in Assam. A must-read for those interested in contemporary religion in India.”
—Gavin Flood, Oxford University
“Urban skillfully combines historiography and ethnography to reveal the remarkably complex dimensions of Tantra in northeast India, including a brilliant analysis of the many aspects of desire. He also explores ongoing developments in Tantra in the larger contexts of globalization and the influences of nationalism, neoliberalism, and popular culture.”
—Glen A. Hayes, Bloomfield College
“The Path of Desire is a skillfully crafted and readable ethnography of ‘living Tantra’ in the twenty-first century. In this powerful account, Urban refuses to simplify complex entanglements surrounding female sexual agency, menstruation, and indigenous identities that endure—and thrive—despite confrontations with nationalism, tourism, neoliberalism, and globalization.”
—Amanda Lucia, University of California, Riverside