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Religion and Pride
Hindus in Search of Recognition in La Réunion
Natalie Lang
234 pages, 19 illus., bibliog., index
ISBN 978-1-80073-027-4 $120.00/£89.00 Hb Not Yet Published (March 2021)
eISBN 978-1-80073-028-1 eBook Not Yet Published
Reviews
“This is a valuable study of Hindu religious practices in public space in La Réunion…The author’s descriptions and interpretations of the use of Hindu religion focus on the elite and middle class and how they use Hindu religion and identity and the rise of India as a global power to attain pride, social mobility, status and success.” • Knut A. Jacobsen, University of Bergen
Description
Seeking recognition presents an important driving force in the making of religious minorities, as is shown in this study that examines current debates on religion, globalization, diaspora, and secularism through the lens of Hindus living in the French overseas department of La Réunion. Through the examination of religious practices and public performance, the author offers a compelling study of how the Hindus of the island assert pride in their religion as a means of gaining recognition, self-esteem, and social status.
Natalie Lang is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. She received the Frobenius Research Award for her doctoral thesis, which she defended at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies, University of Göttingen.
Subject: Religion General Anthropology
Area: Africa
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1. (Im)mobile in the Indian Ocean
Chapter 2. Pride Politics and the Making of a Religious Minority
Chapter 3. Relating to India in Different Ways
Chapter 4. The Quest for Religious Knowledge
Chapter 5. Strategic Bricolage
Chapter 6. Rituals, Emotions, and Aesthetics
Conclusion
Glossary
Index