McGovern has provided a monumentally valuable contribution. This is a must for anyone who teaches undergraduate courses on South Asian religion. The Snake and the Mongoose will re-define much of the field, particularly in the powerful ways McGovern retires age-old historical narratives.
Nathan McGovern is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He received his PhD in Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has taught at Franklin and Marshall College and Dalhousie University. His research interests include early Indian religions and religion in Thailand, especially exploring the boundary between Buddhism and
Hinduism.