Contemporary Hinduism
By: edited by P. Pratap Kumar
Series: Religions in focus; Religions in Focus
Publisher: Acumen
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Durham, UK
Language: eng
Number of pages: 301
ISBN-13: 9781844656905; 9781844656899; 9781844656912
Subjects: Hinduism; 15.75 history of Asia; Hinduismus; 11.92 Hinduism
Description: "Most overviews of Hindu belief and practice follow a history from the ancient Vedas to today. Such approaches privilege Brahmanical traditions and create a sense of Hinduism as a homogenous system and culture, and one which is largely unchanging and based solely on sacred texts. In reality, modern Hindu faith and culture present an extraordinary range of dynamic beliefs and practices. Contemporary Hinduism aims to capture the full breadth of the Hindu worldview as practised today, both in the sub-continent and the diaspora. Global and regional faith, ritualized and everyday practice, Brahmanical and non-Brahmanical belief, and ascetic and devotional traditions are all discussed. Throughout, the discussion is illustrated with detailed case material, while key terms are highlighted and explained in a glossary. Contemporary Hinduism presents students with a lively and engaging survey of Hinduism, offering an introduction to the oldest and one of the most complex of world religions."--Page 4 of cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-287) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction / -- P. Pratap Kumar -- Part I: Hinduism in diaspora :; title: Diasporic and indigenous Hinduism in North America  -- Jeffery D. Long ;; title: Nepali Hindus in southern California  -- Deepak Shimkhada ;; title: Trinidad Hinduism  -- Paul Younger ;; title: Hinduism in the Caribbean  -- Indrani Rampersad ;; title: Tamil Śaivism in Norway  -- Knut A. Jacobsen -- Part II: Contemporary Hinduism in north India :; title: The Indrajatra festival of Kathmandu, Nepal  -- Michael Baltutis ;; title: Vernacular Hinduism in Rajasthan  -- Antoinette E. DeNapoli ;; title: Sindhi Hindus  -- Steven W. Ramey ;; title: Devotional expressions in the Swaminarayan community  -- Hanna H. Kim ;; title: Kṛṣṇa devotion in western India  -- Shandip Saha ;; title: Vārkarīs in rural western India  -- Jon Keune ;; title: Low-caste Hinduism in central India  -- Ramdas Lamb ;; title: Vaiṣṇavism in Bengal  -- Abhishek Ghosh -- Part III: Contemporary Hinduism in south India :; title: Snake goddess traditions in Tamilnadu  -- Amy L. Allocco ;; title: Nambūtiris and Ayyappan devotees in Kerala  -- George Pati ;; title: Ecstatic seeing: adorning and enjoying the body of the goddess  -- Archana Venkatesan ;; title: The Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati  -- Afsar Mohammad ;; title: The militant ascetic traditions of India and Sri Lanka -- William Harman-- Afterword /-- P. Pratap Kumar.