Digital Hinduism Dharma and Discourse in the Age of New Media
Produktdetaljer
Om bidragsyterne
Murali Balaji is director of education and curriculum reform for the Hindu American Foundation (HAF).Digital Hinduism helps to legitimize a relatively new conversation in religious studies. Because the subfield of digital religious studies is still being defined and studies on the intersection of new media and religion are burgeoning, particularly within Hindu studies, this collection of essays brings further insight to a fairly new area of study. . . . This collection has many strengths. Almost every essay provides a wealth of information on technology and how accessible that technology may be to various communities. Additionally, many different topics relating to the formation of an online Hindu identity are represented. An effort was clearly made to bring a diversity of voices into the conversation. . . On the whole, this collection provides a wide-ranging survey of digital Hinduism.
Reading Religion
Like any other living and vibrant tradition, Hinduism continues to adapt to changing circumstances and contexts, including the rise of the internet. This important volume–a fine addition to the Explorations in Indic Traditions series–gives a sense of the diverse ways in which Hinduism is present in cyberspace. From advocacy for Hindu rights to the expression of progressive Hindu perspectives to such traditional activities as puja carried out online, this book chronicles the rise of internet Hinduism and does so in a clear and engaging fashion.
- Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College,
This book is a rich collection of diverse voices that deepen our understanding of Hindu traditions in this fluid era of globalization and digitalization, including, but moving beyond, the Indian subcontinent. Each essay opens a new window to the complex ways in which this global tradition is transforming and being transformed by media. It is a much needed addition to a new field in the study of religion.
- Anantanand Rambachan, St. Olaf College,
Hinduism has long been viewed as a timeless religion, but the reality is that it has always been shaped by its historical, cultural, and political context. As Hinduism encounters modernity, its technological landscape has shifted dramatically, thereby transforming the way that Hinduism is conceptualized and consumed across generations and continents. A critical and timely volume, Digital Hinduism is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the future of Hinduism.
- Varun Soni, Dean of Religious Life, University of Southern California,
The region historically known as the Indian subcontinent (and more recently as South Asia) is rich with ancient and sophisticated traditions of intellectual and contemplative investigation. This includes both indigenous traditions (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh) and traditions that have found a home in this region (Islamic, Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian). This series is devoted to studies rooted in critical and constructive methodologies (such as ethics, philosophy, and theology) that show how these traditions can illuminate universal human questions: questions about the meaning of life, the nature of knowledge, good and evil, and the broader metaphysical context of human existence. A particular focus of this series is the relevance of these traditions to urgent issues that face humanity today—such as the ecological crisis, gender relations, poverty and social inequality, and religiously motivated violence—on the assumption that these traditions, far from being of merely historical interest, have the potential to enrich contemporary conversations and advance human understanding.
Series Editor: Jeffery D. Long
Advisory Board: Purushottama Bilimoria, Christopher Key Chapple, Jonathan Gold, Pankaj Jain, Nathan Katz, Kusumita Pedersen, and Rita D. Sherma