Leading the Hare Krishna Movement

The Crisis of Succession in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-1-032-24940-7
Verlag: Routledge

Buch, Englisch, 232 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 517 g

Reihe: Routledge New Religions

This book examines issues of leadership and succession in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) which was founded in by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1966. After the founder’s death in 1977, the movement was led by a group of gurus in a "zonal system" until their authority was challenged and reformed in the mid-1980s. At the heart of the book is an exploration of the developments, conflicts, and defining characteristics of leadership in ISKCON in this decade. Themes of hierarchy, status, power and authority, and the routinisation of charisma are shown to be keys to understanding the events of the time. With careful analysis of interviews and documentary evidence, the research offers a unique insight into ISKCON as an organisation and the broader religious community in which ISKCON is located. The book will be of particular interest to scholars of new religious movements and those concerned with religious leadership.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Burt, Angela R.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements

A note on the spelling of Sanskrit words

Glossary

List of interviewees

1. Introduction

2. The issue of succession

3. A crisis of charismatic leadership in the post-succession period

4. The routinisation of charisma: The guru reform movement

5. Experiences of disciples of the gurus and women

6. Long-term effects of the zonal acharya system and the guru reform movement

7. Hierarchy, status, and the distribution of power and authority

8. Systemic and individual issues in religious leadership in ISKCON

9. Conclusion

Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Angela R. Burt is a lecturer at the Australian Catholic University, where she teaches religion and sociology. She has documented the early history of the Hare Krishna movement in her role as project manager and researcher for the ISKCON Oral History Project since its inception in 2003. She is the author of Hare Krishna in the Twenty-First Century.