50. Anya Golovkova | Śrīvidyā, Tantra, and the Goddess

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Anya Golovkova about the world
of Śrīvidyā and the Hindu tantric traditions. We learn about her
background growing up in Russia and then discovering South Asian
studies later in life in New York City, eventually going on to
pursue a PhD on Śrīvidyā texts and traditions. We discuss the
category of "tantra," the role of the Goddess within tantric
traditions, the history of Śrīvidyā, the major texts of the
tradition, the nature of the Śrī Cakra, contemporary Śrīvidyā
traditions, and much more. We close by previewing her upcoming
course, YS 133 | Śrīvidyā: Tantric Wisdom of the Goddess.

Speaker Bio
Anya Golovkova is a historian of Asian Religions and a
Sanskritist. Prior to joining Lake Forest College as Assistant
Professor of Religion, she was an A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral
Fellow in Religion at Bowdoin College and a Visiting Scholar at
Cornell University’s South Asia Program. Dr. Golovkova completed
her Ph.D. in Asian Studies at Cornell University and holds a B.A.
(with distinction) in Linguistics and Intercultural Communication
from Moscow State Linguistics University, an M.A. in the Middle
East and Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University,
and a Master of Studies (with distinction) in Oriental Studies
from Oxford University. Dr. Golovkova has published articles in
peer-reviewed journals and edited book chapters. She is the
co-editor (with Hugh Urban and Hillary Langberg) of The Tantric
World, forthcoming from Routledge. Her forthcoming monograph, A
Goddess for the Second Millennium: The Making of Śrīvidyā, is the
first comprehensive study of a Hindu Tantric (esoteric) tradition
called Śrīvidyā. Dr. Golovkova serves as the Co-Chair of the
Tantric Studies Unit of the American Academy of Religion, the
largest scholarly society dedicated to the academic study of
religion, with more than 8,000 members around the world.

Links


YS 133 | Śrīvidyā: Tantric Wisdom of the Goddess

Golovkova, Anna A. “Śrīvidyā.” Edited by Knut A. Jacobsen,
Helene Basu, and Angelika Malinar, Brill’s Encyclopedia of
Hinduism Vol. 4. 815–22. Leiden [etc.]: Brill, 2012.

https://lakeforest.academia.edu/AnnaAAnyaGolovkova