This book explores the experience of religious communities that have migrated from South Asia (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) to live in Britain, Canada, and the United States, three countries sharing a common language (English) and an interwoven history. The work introduces the migration history of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs along with the cultural nuances of these traditions. The contributors discuss the various communities’ experiences that grow out of or are related to religion. The book shows how traditions are reformed or reinvented and how they are passed on, both through the family and through institutions. Issues related to public policy and minority status are also addressed. While the main focus is on the Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities, specific sections also cover South Asian Christians, the Zoroastrian diaspora, and new religious movements in the West led by South Asians. The book strikes a balance between stories and statistics in order to emphasize the narrative of the immigrants’ experience.
[Contributors include: Roger Ballard, Judith Coney, Harold Coward, Diana L. Eck, Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, John R. Hinnells, Kim Knott, Gurinder Singh Mann, Sheila Mc Donough, Jørgen S. Nielsen, Joseph T. O’Connell, and Raymond Brady Williams.]
Cuprins
Acknowledgments
Introduction: South Asian Religions in Migration
John R. Hinnells
1. South Asian Christians in Britain, Canada, and the United States
Raymond Brady Williams
2. The Zoroastrian Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States
John R. Hinnells
3. New Religious Movements in the West Led by South Asians
Judith Coney
Part I: South Asians in BritainIntroduction
John R. Hinnells
4. Hinduism in Britain
Kim Knott
5. Muslims in Britain: Ethnic Minorities, Community, or Ummah?
Jørgen S. Nielsen
6. The Growth and Changing Character of the Sikh Presence in Britain
Roger Ballar
Part II: South Asians in CanadaIntroduction
Harold Coward
7. Hinduism in Canada
Harold Coward
8. The Muslims of Canada
Sheila Mcdonough
9. Sikh Religio-Ethnic Experience in Canada
Joseph T. O’connell
Part III: South Asians in the United StatesIntroduction
Raymond Brady Williams
10. Negotiating Hindu Identities in America
Diana L. Eck
11. At Home in the Hijra: South Asian Muslims in the United States
Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad
12. Sikhism in the United States of America
Gurinder Singh Mann
Conclusion: Trajectories for Future Studies
Raymond Brady Williams
List of Contributors
Index
Despre autor
Harold Coward is Director at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, and coeditor of
Visions of a New Earth, with Daniel C. Maguire, also from SUNY Press.
John R. Hinnells is Research Professor of Comparative Religion at the University of Derby, England, and author of
Zoroastrians in Britain.
Raymond Brady Williams, La Follette Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Wabash College in Indiana, is the author of
Religions of Immigrants from India and Pakistan: New Threads in the American Tapestry.