In this edited version of her dissertation in anthropology, published as part of an award she won while at Washington State U., Galvin examines the experiences of widows in Nepal, with a focus on kinship and how it constructs and deconstructs widowhood. Specifically, she discusses how these widows are rejected from their kin group and how they deal with their new status, as well as their rituals, religion, caste, and residence choices. She uses both her own model of kinship and practice theory in the analysis, which is based on 56 interviews and life histories of widows in Kathmandu and other parts of the country. There is no index. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)