David H. Holmberg here examines the social forms, ritual practices, and history of a western Tamang community of Himalayan Nepal. Exploring the central question of ritual complexity, Order in Paradox demonstrates how a religious system that contains Buddhist, shamanic, and sacrificial practices may be understood as a whole.

Holmberg begins by recounting the history of the Tamang and reexamining the meaning of caste, tribe, and ethnicity in greater Nepal. Holmberg reveals how cultural patterns thought to be uniquely Tamang reflect this people's development of an "involuted" "tribal" form of Buddhist religious expression―an evolution he interprets as a result in part of the unification of the Nepalese state. Holmberg then offers descriptions of the culture, mythic imagination, and ritual field of the Tamang. Exploring both structural and historical dimensions of Tamang rituals, Holmberg shows how they form a system linked to a cultural logic of exchange upon which Tamang society is built. He also sheds light on the relationship between gender and ritual, considering in detail the close association between femaleness and the shamanic in Tamang culture.

About the Author

David H. Holmberg is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Cornell University.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

Opened as small store in 1980, we are now only in warehouse/storage space, but are still focused around the subjects of Anthropology and Natural History, used books and monographs. Our stock consists of about 30,000 titles, most of which are on-line.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

N. Fagin Books
IL, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

Accept checks in US Dollars or postal money orders; we also accept PayPal. All
private orders must be prepaid. We will usually accept purchase orders from
known institutions. Shipping rates: Media Mail within the United States is
$4.00 for the first book and $3.00 for each additional book. Priority mail
within the US. is $7.00.
Global Priority where available is $28.00 We gurantee delivery within the US.
We will ship to any destination by any other means available but will not
gurantee delivery....

More Information

Shipping Terms

Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	5 to 10 business days	3 to 6 business days
First item	US$ 6.00	US$ 11.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.