HINDUISM IN SOUTH AFRICA: HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES

GOOLAM VAHED (University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa) and ASHWIN DESAI (University of Johannesburg, South Africa)

2013 • Pages: 174 • Size: 180 x 240 mm • Binding: Hard •

Price: US $ 100/- Rs. 3000/-

(Special Issue of Journal of Sociology and social Anthropology - No. 2)

The selection of papers in this volume seeks to track the changes over the past century and underscore this diversity as well as reflect on some of the challenges facing Hindus and Hinduism in the contemporary period. The chapters by Vahed and Gopalan trace the history of the Maha Sabha; Desai and Chetty focus on temples; Anand Singh, Jagganath, and Kumar examine the reformist Hindu movements; Shukla focuses on the importance of the Ramayana tradition among South African Hindus; Hiralal looks the role of Hindu women; while Maharaj and Shanta Singh examine some of the challenges facing Hindus and Hinduism in the contemporary moment.

Together, these contributions point to the fascinating journey of Hinduism in South Africa, one that began with the arrival of indentured Indians in 1860 and is today an important part of the South African landscape, as acknowledged by President Jacob Zuma. The articles, while illustrating the specificity of the South African experience, also takes cognizance of the influence brought over the oceans from India and the impact of Hindu organizations with a global reach.

CONTENTS

Preface

Vinay Lal and Goolam Vahed • Hinduism in South Africa: Caste, Ethnicity, and Invented Traditions, 1860-Present

Goolam Vahed • Institutional Hinduism: The Founding of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha 1912

Vinay Lal • Gandhi’s Religion: Politics, Faith, and Hermeneutics

Karthigasen Gopalan • South African Hindu Maha Sabha: (Re) Making Hinduism in  South Africa, 1912-1960

Suryakanthie Chetty • Temple Worship, Hinduism and the Making of South African Indian Identity

Ashwin Desai • “Master Coolie Arrives”: Indenture and the Origins of Hinduism in Natal

Anand Singh • From Ritualism to Vedanta: Hinduism in South Africa – Then and Now

P. Pratap Kumar • Resistance and Change: Strategies of Neo-Hindu Movements in South Africa

Usha Shukla • Ramayana as the Gateway to Hindu Religious Expression among South African Hindi Speakers

Brij Maharaj • Challenges Facing Hindus and Hinduism in Post-apartheid South Africa

Kalpana Hiralal • “Immigrant Sisters Organising for Change”: The Gujarati Mahila Mandal 1930-2010

Gerelene Jagganath • The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, South Africa: “Self Transformation is World Transformation”

Navrishka Seebaluk • “Walking the Path of Gods”: A South African’s Visit to Hindu Sacred Sites in India

Shanta Balgobind Singh • “Ahimsa” and Domestic Violence in the Metropolitan Area of Durban, South Africa

Sultan Khan • Religious Co-existence: Tolerance and Contestation amongst  Hindu and Muslim Faith Groups of Indian Origin in South Africa

Nirmala Gopal • Music, Trance and Dance in the Thaipusam Kavady Festival: Reflections of a Select Group of South African

Guide for Contributors

List of Members of the Editorial Board

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