摘要：The Cow in the Elevator: An Anthropology of Wonder by Tulasi Srinivas is a captivating and theoretically intricate contribution to ethnographic studies on modern-day India. Srinivas uses the aesthetic sentiment (rasa) of wonder to interrogate the effects of neoliberal modernity on Malleshwaram,Bangalore—a place she presents as a snapshot of large-scale transformations in urban India. Srinivas takes a delightful,yet realistic view of how modern change is inspired,integrated,and imbibed by the multi-generational Malleshwaram community. Using the language of suggestion,metaphor,and literary “adornment” (alaṅkāra),she brings the reader into the vibrant world of Hindu ritual,which mediates modernity and tradition.
