Most widely known for its adherents chanting "Hare Krishna" and
distributing religious literature on the streets of American cities, the
Hare Krishna movement was founded in New York City in 1965 by A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Formally known as the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON, it is based on the Hindu
Vedic scriptures and is a Western outgrowth of a popular yoga tradition
which began in the 16th century.
In its first generation ISKCON actively deterred marriage and the
nuclear family, denigrated women, and viewed the raising of children as
a distraction from devotees' spiritual responsibilities. Yet since the
death of its founder in 1977, there has been a growing women's rights
movement and also a highly publicized child abuse scandal. Most
strikingly, this movement has transformed into one that now embraces the
nuclear family and is more accepting of both women and children, steps
taken out of necessity to sustain itself as a religious movement into
the next generation. At the same time, it is now struggling to contend
with the consequences of its recent outreach into the India-born
American Hindu community.
Based on three decades of in-depth research and participant observation,
Hare Krishna Transformed explores dramatic changes in this new
religious movement over the course of two generations from its founding.
