From prayer beads to the mechanical counter
This paper compares the use of older and newer technologies in Hindu chanting through the example of Iskcon (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) devotees. Iskcon is global but has spiritual roots in West Bengal, India, and devotees try to connect with the deity Krishna through daily cha...
| Published in: | Archives de sciences sociales des religions |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Ed. de l'Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales
2016
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| In: |
Archives de sciences sociales des religions
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| Further subjects: | B
Technology
B chanting B Efficacy B Hinduism B Praxeology |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This paper compares the use of older and newer technologies in Hindu chanting through the example of Iskcon (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) devotees. Iskcon is global but has spiritual roots in West Bengal, India, and devotees try to connect with the deity Krishna through daily chanting. The use of prayer beads is compared to the mechanical counter, the haptics of chanting is linked to the co-ordination of mental and physical rhythms and the material affordances of the two devices are related to their respective effects. By analysing the views and practices of Indian and non-Indian devotees in different situations, technological changes are related to social changes and perceptions of time. Internal debates surrounding the use of the counter expose tensions between secular and sacred time, and indicate negotiations that accompany devotional performance within a contemporary landscape. |
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| ISSN: | 1777-5825 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Archives de sciences sociales des religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.4000/assr.27792 |