The Public Representation of a Religion called Hinduism: Postcolonial Patterns in India, Britain and the US

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This network project aims to examine the various ways in which Hinduism has asserted and maintained a public presence in a range of contemporary contexts. It compares the public representation of Hinduism as a religion in India with that of Hinduism in different diasporic contexts. The network builds on recent work which recognises the operation of religion as a modern discourse, and the 'construction' of Hinduism as a discrete, identifiable body of ideas, objects and practices within this discursive framework ('a religion called Hinduism'). It also builds on recent work focused on organisations or institutions which project the 'public face' of Hinduism, either in India or in those areas of the world in which significant numbers of Indians have settled. The network seeks to bring together researchers who are interested in these themes in order to build a nuanced, context-sensitive analysis of the various ways in which Hinduism is represented as a religion in modern societies. Our focus will be on the representation of Hinduism in a range of public contexts, in three countries where it has a prominent role: India, the US and the UK. Focusing on these countries will enable us to make critical comparisons which cut through the boundaries normally established between studies of religion in diaspora and studies of religion 'at home'.