The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States

Harold Coward, John R. Hinnells, Raymond Brady Williams, Harold Coward, John R. Hinnells, Raymond Brady Williams

• Publisher: SUNY Press
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9780791493021
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Emigration & Immigration
• Index: Social Sciences

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 McDonough, Jørgen S. Nielsen, Joseph T. O'Connell, and Raymond Brady Williams.]

Table of contents

• The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: South Asian Religions in Migration
• 1. South Asian Chrisitians in Britain, Canada, and the United States
• 2. The Zoroastrian Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States
• 3. New Religious Movements in the West Led by South Asians
• Part I: South Asians in Britain
• 4. Hinduism in Britain
• 5. Muslims in Britain: Ethnic Minorities, Community, or Ummah?
• 6. The Growth and Changing Character of the Sikh Presence in Britain
• Part II: South Asians in Canada
• 7. Hinduism in Canada
• 8. The Muslims of Canada
• 9. Sikh Religio-Ethnic Experience in Canada
• Part III: South Asians in the United States
• 10. Negotiating Hindu Identites in America
• 11. At Home in the Hijra: South Asian Muslims in the United States
• 12. Sikhism in the United States of America
• Conclusion: Trajectories for Future Studies
• Contributors
• Index