"Mandir" and visa status: purity, auspiciousness and Hindu homes in the USA
Mandirs are an important part of first generation Hindu homes of immigrants from India living in the USA who adhere to the essential Hindu principles of purity and auspiciousness in the mandir's placement and worship in their homes. This paper will argue that visa status of the immigrants plays...
| Published in: | Material religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
[2016]
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| In: |
Material religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
USA
/ Hindus
/ Immigrants
/ Apartment
/ Cultic purity
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| RelBib Classification: | BK Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism KBQ North America |
| Further subjects: | B
Diaspora
B home shrines, domestic space B Purity B Hinduism B auspiciousness B Immigrants B Homes |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Mandirs are an important part of first generation Hindu homes of immigrants from India living in the USA who adhere to the essential Hindu principles of purity and auspiciousness in the mandir's placement and worship in their homes. This paper will argue that visa status of the immigrants plays an important role in the way these two principles of purity and auspiciousness are practiced in a diasporic setting. While the immigrants are on temporary visas with unstable jobs, the purity and auspiciousness of the mandir is negotiated within restricted spaces inside rented apartments; however, as immigrants become permanent residents and independent homeowners, they execute more control in ensuring the purity and auspiciousness of the mandir through architectural changes inside the house. The focus of this paper is not to show the two terms of auspiciousness or purity as binary opposites or as encompassing one or the other. Rather, the concentration of this paper is on highlighting the way immigrants negotiate the purity of the mandir in each stage of the immigration process - from temporary to permanent residency - in order to ensure the auspiciousness of the house. |
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| ISSN: | 1751-8342 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Material religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/17432200.2016.1192151 |