This nuanced and informative book is recommended for, though not limited to, scholars and students (both graduate and undergraduate) interested in religion, transnationalism, and gender, as well as histories of the present, Indic studies, and the ethical implications of ethnographic scholarship today.

Religious Studies Review

In Shakti’s New Voice, Angela Rudert, a scholar working at the intersection of anthropology and the history of religions, fills a lacuna in the field with her in-depth and empathetic exploration of the transcultural guru movement centered on Anandmurti Gurumaa. Based on more than ten years of research with Gurumaa and her middle-class Indian (and a few non-Indian) devotees in India and the United States, Shakti’s New Voice offers a critical ethno-historical examination of global guru devotion (bhakti) as it is “performed” on stage and through song, gender activism, and new media. This book will appeal to academics and non-academics interested in South Asia, religion, globalization, religious pluralism, and gender and women’s religious leadership. Expertly written, its dialogical style makes the book highly accessible to undergraduates, and its delicate balancing of culturally specific and generalizable insights will be of much interest to scholars and graduate students working in these and related fields.... Rudert’s book pushes against the old school dichotomies of “insider” and “outsider” in religious studies and other Humanistic disciplines. The book charts out a new modality for representing the (female) scholar’s voice and those of the people with whom she works and creates relationships, while casting a sobering glance on the ethics and politics of appropriating others’ worlds in the production and commodification of scholarship.

Reading Religion

Angela Rudert has written a fascinating study of the contemporary Punjabi female spiritual leader Anandmurti Gurumaa, generally simply referred to as ‘Gurumaa’. This is a rich account of an important, but as yet little known Indian-derived spiritual movement. . . . Rudert’s book is highly accessible and yet deals with some important and complex issues. It is relevant to anyone interested in the appeal of contemporary gurus, the globalisation of spirituality, and the increasing significance of new media platforms in spiritual movements.

Journal of Contemporary Religion

The book manages to retain the apposite scholarly rigour demanded of a dissertation, while donning the relaxed and casual armchair readability expected by wider audiences. . . . There is much in this book that both a lay audience as well students and scholars of religion would enjoy.

Nidan: International Journal for Indian Studies

This volume is enriched by the author’s reflections upon her own experiences in Gurumaa’s ashram. At the same time, it is grounded in substantial ethnographic research conducted with Gurumaa and her devotees in both India and the United States. This book will therefore appeal to scholars and students of Indian religious traditions, as well as to the general reader with an interest in religion and gender, the globalization of religion, and/or guru-led movements.

Nova Religio: The Journal Of Alternative And Emergent Religions

Angela Rudert presents readers with an intimate portrait of the “New Age” tech-guru Anandmurti Gurumaa. Her book is analytically nuanced and thoughtfully engages with extant research. For those unfamiliar with the field, Rudert’s research will be a welcome tour through some of the most fascinating aspects of this particular female guru.

The Journal Of Religion