Between religion and politics: the political deification of Mahishasur

This article focuses on the political deification of a so-called demon Mahishasur in hegemonic Hindu myths. The Mahishasur movement is a social movement for caste equality headed by indigenous and oppressed-caste groups against the hegemonic upper caste Hindu storyworlds which dominate Indian politi...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Sen, Moumita (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Routledge 2022
In: Religion
Year: 2022, Volume: 52, Issue: 4, Pages: 616-636
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Mahiṣāsura / India / Caste / Equal status / Politics / Apotheosis / Ritual / Discourse
RelBib Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
AG Religious life; material religion
BK Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism
KBM Asia
Further subjects:B Hindu Nationalism
B indigenous politics
B Social Movements
B Caste
B Religion And Politics
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:This article focuses on the political deification of a so-called demon Mahishasur in hegemonic Hindu myths. The Mahishasur movement is a social movement for caste equality headed by indigenous and oppressed-caste groups against the hegemonic upper caste Hindu storyworlds which dominate Indian politics, society, and culture. In this article, I use data collected through participant observation and long interviews to focus on the way political organisers select and create icons for this movement, how the participants in the movement behave around these icons, and finally what terms do they use to understand their own practices. I use three related aspects of the movement – icons, rituals, and discourse – to bring out the emic concepts and practices around political deification used in the Mahishasur movement.
ISSN:1096-1151
Contains:Enthalten in: Religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/0048721X.2022.2094782