Welcome to a open lecture with Marianne Qvortrup Fibiger from Aarhus University, "Piercings and procession rituals among Mauritian Hindus: Why the history of religion matters – also when studying religion in contemporary time".
The lecture may be attended on campus or online via Zoom (link below).
Abstract:
Piercings and procession rituals among Mauritian Hindus: Why the history of religion matters – also when studying religion in contemporary time
I am a historian of training but have in my academic life been studying Hinduism in contemporary time both in India and in many other places in the world (Mauritius, Sri Lanka, England, Kenya, Denmark). This talk will show the importance of knowing the history or histories of a tradition to understand its expressions in contemporary time. This is the case both when it comes to understanding how Hindus adapt to modern India but also when adapting to other settings when settling down in countries outside India. I will in my talk touch upon continuity and change, and the interplay between roots and routes. As the overall example, I will take you to Mauritius and show the new meaning related to old traditional piercings and procession rituals among Hindus there. Something I call the “bodyfication” of tradition.
