Oh Terrifying Mother

the long version

"Sarah Caldwell chose to embark on an anthropological investigation of an obscure Keralite ritual drama - mutiyettu." "At the heart of the drama is the spirit possession of a male actor by the fearsome warrior goddess Bhadrakali, an incarnation of Kali, in her divine battle with the demon king Darika. The goddess Bhadrakali is both violent and sexual, pock-marked yet beautiful, serene and powerfully destructive. Caldwell analyses how this powerful female energy is both unleashed - and contained - by the ritual drama, and is reflected in the daily lives of its performers and spectators." "From the psycho-sexual dynamics of male transvestite performance to a rigorous rethinking of contemporary anthropological practice, Caldwell weaves together a personal narrative of discovery with a scholarly critique of social and religious norms. Placing herself in a position of vulnerability vis-a-vis the people she studies, Caldwell takes a personal and academic risk that many advocate, yet few have carried out." "The result is a book which challenges readers to reassess their own assumptions of female spirituality, gender hierarchies and the relationship between symbols, culture, and the lived realities of social life."--BOOK JACKET.