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Seeking recognition presents an important driving force in the making of religious minorities, as is shown in this study that examines current debates on religion, globalization, diaspora, and secularism through the lens of Hindus living in the French overseas department of La Réunion. Through the examination of religious practices and public performance, the author offers a compelling study of how the Hindus of the island assert pride in their religion as a means of gaining recognition, self-esteem, and social status.
“Natalie Lang’s ethnography combines methodological rigor with analytical excellence, exploring the multifaceted nature of Reunionese Hindu identity… I commend Lang for powerfully articulating the devotional fortitude of Reunionese Hindus who rightfully deserve to express pride in their religious identity. Courses on Hinduism in minority contexts would be enriched by this fine monograph.” • International Journal of Hindu Studies
“Natalie Lang's book makes a remarkable contribution to the study of Hinduism outside India, addressing all those interested in religious ethnography and Creole societies.” • L’Homme
“Natalie Lang's book must be recommended to all those, specialists as well as non-specialists, who are interested in Hinduism and its contemporary developments in Creole societies. It is a pleasure to read and has all the scientific qualities to establish itself as one of the few general reference works on the subject. It remains to be hoped that this first book in English on Reunionese Hinduism will attract the attention of researchers outside the French-speaking world and generate new vocations.” • Archives de sciences sociales des religions
“This is a valuable study of Hindu religious practices in public space in La Réunion…The author’s descriptions and interpretations of the use of Hindu religion focus on the elite and middle class and how they use Hindu religion and identity and the rise of India as a global power to attain pride, social mobility, status and success.” • Knut A. Jacobsen, University of Bergen
Natalie Lang is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. She received the Frobenius Research Award for her doctoral thesis, which she defended at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies, University of Göttingen.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1. (Im)mobile in the Indian Ocean
Chapter 2. Pride Politics and the Making of a Religious Minority
Chapter 3. Relating to India in Different Ways
Chapter 4. The Quest for Religious Knowledge
Chapter 5. Strategic Bricolage
Chapter 6. Rituals, Emotions, and Aesthetics
Conclusion
Glossary
Index