The Hindu Body as a Site of Contested Narratives: Fire, Religion, and Embodied Practice in London
Hindu ritual practices, which some may consider extreme, are evident in an innovative, refigured form in Britain. This article examines what part bodies play as sites of urban religious negotiations, taking the example of Thimithee, or religious fire-walking rituals carried out by groups of Mauritia...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
|
| In: |
Religion and society
Year: 2024, Volume: 15, Issue: 1, Pages: 213-231 |
| Further subjects: | B
urban ritual
B embodied practice B Religious Identity B Mauritian B fire-walking B migratory journeys B Hindus |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Hindu ritual practices, which some may consider extreme, are evident in an innovative, refigured form in Britain. This article examines what part bodies play as sites of urban religious negotiations, taking the example of Thimithee, or religious fire-walking rituals carried out by groups of Mauritian Tamils during annual Hindu festivals in London. I engage specifically with newly-settled diasporic Tamil groups where ritual customs such as fire walking, body piercing and walking on machetes are part of festival celebrations. Do such bodily practices help confirm and reinscribe faith in being Hindu in the diaspora? How does the urban locale provide an aspirational and imaginative space where different faith groups support each other in creating new pathways, new friendships, and new dependencies? |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2150-9301 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion and society
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3167/arrs.2024.150122 |
