Ritualizing on the Boundaries

Continuity and Innovation in the Tamil Diaspora
Erscheinungsjahr 2007
ISBN: 978-1-57003-647-7
Verlag: University of South Carolina Press

Buch, Englisch, 280 Seiten, Hardback, Format (B × H): 166 mm x 231 mm, Gewicht: 508 g

Reihe: Studies in Comparative Religion

In his comparative study of four Tamil resettlements, Clothey examines the rituals that have traveled with these South Indian communities - Hindu, Muslim, and Christian - and how these practices perpetuate or modify the heritages these groups claim for themselves in their new environs. Clothey looks specifically at settlements in the cities of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Singapore; Mumbai, India; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Describing such settlements as communities living on boundaries, Clothey explores how their existence illustrates divisions between ethnic, local, and global identities; between generations; and between imagined pasts and uncertain futures. He contends that one of the most visible ways expatriated communities negotiate these boundaries is through the use of ritual - the building of shrines and temples, the use of festivals and performances, and the enactment of ancient ceremonies.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Clothey, Frederick Wilson

Über Autor(innen)

Fred W. Clothey, professor emeritus of religious studies, has taught at the University of Pittsburgh for more than thirty years and also served as chair of its Department of Religious Studies. A founder of the Journal of Ritual Studies, he has produced and directed six documentary films on ritual and has written or edited seven books, including Rhythm and Intent: Ritual Studies from South India and The Many Faces of Murukan.