Ritualizing on the Boundaries: Continuity and Innovation in the Tamil Diaspora (Studies in Comparative Religion) - Hardcover

Clothey, Frederick W.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1570036470 ISBN 13: 9781570036477

Publisher: University South Carolina Pr, 2006

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

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.

Edition details

• Publisher: University South Carolina Pr
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1570036470
• ISBN 13: 9781570036477
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 280