". . . a major contribution to an underexamined field. . . . [T]his book is . . . a formidable effort at comprehending the industries of cultural heritage in India as they confront and negotiate our contemporary world.May 2009"—Saloni Mathur, University of California, Los Angeles

"Hancock reintroduced me to the city and to a way of thinking about the secular, the state, and the religious that made me see my experiences of Chennai anew. The book will remain a serious contribution to the discussion of memory, of the complex contours of the secular and the religious, of the construction of spaces, and of the wobbly world of history.November 2012"—Contemporary South Asia

"[This] book makes a significant contribution to memory studies not only because it offers a theoretically informed and empirically rich analysis, but also because it reflects a deep and insightful engagement with the popular culture of Chennai."—South Asia Research

"[Hancock] has a keen ethnographic eye and the book reflects many years of immersion in, and thinking about, Chennai/Tamil Nadu. This is an important contribution to anthropology, South Asian studies, and the interdisciplinary field of urban studies."—Smriti Srinivas, University of California, Davis