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European Hinduism and Hinduism in Europe
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European Hinduism and Hinduism in Europe

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Humanities/Philosophies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 10230

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Knut Axel Jacobsen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Interests: Hinduism; Yoga; Sāṃkhya; religious pluralism in South Asia; religion in the South Asian diasporas; Hindu places of Pilgrimage; processions; Sikhism; Jainism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

This Special Issue of the journal Religions is interested in papers that explore European Hinduism and Hinduism in Europe. The issue wants to include papers that investigate Hindu diaspora traditions and European converts and followers of various Hindu gurus, practices, and spiritualities, and especially the relations between these. The issue will explore relations and interaction but also the lack of interaction.

What types of exchanges and interactions take place?

What kind of communities do ethnic European followers of Hindu spiritualities build?

How do they represent the Hindu tradition from where their ideas are derived?

How are romantic spiritual (mis)interpretations of Indian society revised by the presence in their societies of Hindu diaspora groups?

In many cases, followers of Hindu gurus tend to divide into Western and South Asian groups, but Hindu spiritualities with roots in India are also taught in Europe by ethnic European spiritual leaders or teachers. European devotees, followers, and interpreters of Hindu religious traditions and movements have become representatives as well as authoritative spokespersons for Hindu traditions, such as various Śaiva, Vaiṣṇava, and yoga traditions, and so on, and also attained leadership roles in Hindu umbrella organizations. European Indology and other academic traditions have for a long time claimed to speak the truth about Hindu textual traditions and Hindu religion and society, and European Hindu converts and followers have increasingly also sought positions within these academic traditions. Hindu nationalists in Europe, on the other hand, interpret European spiritual followers of Hindu teachings as a confirmation of their own Hindu supremacist ideologies but also view the followers with suspicion as persons exploiting the tradition for profit or for other selfish reasons. How are these tensions played out in contemporary Europe?

How are European devotees and followers understood or interpreted by South Asian Hindus in Europe?

What kind of interactions are found between them?

How do academic forms of power knowledge influence Hinduism in Europe and relation between Hindus in Europe?

Hindu pilgrimage places in Europe may function as meeting places of South Asian and ethnic European Hindus where differences are minimized and played down, and the issue is also interested in exploring this aspect of Hinduism in Europe.

While a main focus of the issue is on exploring relations, interaction or lack of interaction between diaspora Hindus and Hindu converts or followers of Hindu gurus and spiritualities in Europe, articles on histories and analysis of Hindu organizations and spiritualities in Europe, and other topics such as the use of Hindu symbols and ideas in European popular religion and culture, Hinduism and memory, heritage, and family, Hindu rituals in Europe, festivalization of Hinduism, and both historical and contemporary developments will also be considered for inclusion. 

Prof. Dr. Knut Axel Jacobsen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • European Hinduism
  • Hinduism in Europe
  • Hindu diasporas
  • Hindu gurus and followers
  • Hindu spiritualities
  • yoga
  • Hindu pilgrimage in Europe

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 483 KiB  
Article
History of Iskcon (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Distribution in Belarus
by Svetlana Karassyova and Ilya Tarkan
Religions 2022, 13(1), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13010035 - 31 Dec 2021
Viewed by 2766
Abstract
Based on several scientific publications, a limited number of news from the 1980s up until 2021 and a series of in-depth interviews with devotees in 2006–2021, the authors of the paper managed to restore the history of Bengal Vaishnavism distribution in Belarus for [...] Read more.
Based on several scientific publications, a limited number of news from the 1980s up until 2021 and a series of in-depth interviews with devotees in 2006–2021, the authors of the paper managed to restore the history of Bengal Vaishnavism distribution in Belarus for the first time. Specific attributes of its introduction to the country were: (1) philosophical requests from the local citizens, not immigration of its original bearers; (2) a long period of spontaneous distribution in the form of personal involvement with Vaishnava ideas and, hence, late institutionalization of the movement. The main stages of Vaishnavism development in Belarus were distinguished: (1) 1980s, the Soviet period: introduction of Vaishnava ideas and practices within individual self-identification of the members of small groups; (2) 1990s, the post-Soviet period: forming organizational structure of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Belarus; (3) 2000s: spiritual and administrative crises and reformation of the systems of administration and practice creation of the institute of curating the newly converted devotees; (4) 2010s: search for and establishment of the new models of serving, the out-of-temple bhakti practice, in particular; further popularization of the Vaishnava movement and community in Belarus. The main source of information on the history of Vaishnavism distribution in Belarus were in-depth interviews with the members of the community standing at its origin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue European Hinduism and Hinduism in Europe)
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10 pages, 502 KiB  
Article
Crossover Hinduism and Other Possible Categories When Dealing with Hinduism in Europe
by Marianne Qvortrup Fibiger
Religions 2021, 12(9), 745; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12090745 - 10 Sep 2021
Viewed by 3024
Abstract
This article will discuss the difficulties in analysing and mapping Hinduism in Europe, and will present a suggestion for a working typology. The point of departure is Denmark as a geographically limited space. The aim of this article is to use the findings [...] Read more.
This article will discuss the difficulties in analysing and mapping Hinduism in Europe, and will present a suggestion for a working typology. The point of departure is Denmark as a geographically limited space. The aim of this article is to use the findings in Denmark and the suggested categories for groups to form a heuristic framework, or present some overall patterns that apply to other European countries. This is despite the special history of Denmark, which of course has to be taken into account—not least when it comes to its Hindu migration patterns, relations with the Hindu tradition among the public, and relations with religion in general (Denmark and the other Scandinavian countries are regarded as prototypically secular societies). The following categories or typologies will be presented from a polythetic point of view: (a) people or groups who understand themselves as Hindus by birth and by descent; (b) people or groups that can be understood as Hindu related; (c) people or groups that can be understood as being inspired by the Hindu religion. There is also a fourth category or better tendency, which will be called Crossover Hinduism. Crossover Hinduism can be understood as a form of dialectical network and entanglement, but also as a mutual reference point between the different groups. This representation of Hinduism will be the main focus of this article. The concept of Crossover Hinduism not only challenges concepts such as syncretism and eclecticism, but can also give an idea of how concepts flow and generate new meaning(s) that will have some kind of impact on the way the different groups can be associated with the Hindu tradition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue European Hinduism and Hinduism in Europe)
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19 pages, 292 KiB  
Article
Eco Valley or New Vraja Dham? Competing Emic Interpretations of the Hungarian Krishna Valley
by Judit Farkas
Religions 2021, 12(8), 622; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12080622 - 10 Aug 2021
Viewed by 2277
Abstract
One of the reasons for the spread of the Western Hare Krishna movement is that it offers several alternatives for the practice of religion: devotees can be full-fledged members of the church in congregations located in complex urban or in simple rural contexts. [...] Read more.
One of the reasons for the spread of the Western Hare Krishna movement is that it offers several alternatives for the practice of religion: devotees can be full-fledged members of the church in congregations located in complex urban or in simple rural contexts. An example of the latter is Krishna Valley, where approximately 130 Krishna-devotees live austere lives. My paper presents the interpretations of this settlement concentrating on (multiple) internal (emic) views: On the one hand, I will show how the leadership of the church contextualizes and interprets Krishna Valley and how they wish the inhabitants to conceptualize it. On the other hand, I will also show what Krishna Valley means for its ordinary inhabitants and what interpretations those living there attach to it. When I was gathering material for the current paper, Krishna Valley was in flux. The settlement has always favored following a sustainable lifestyle but—due in part to the strengthening of the Hungarian eco-village movement—it was at this time that the conceptualization of Krishna Valley as an eco-village gained momentum. This was the heyday of the Eco Valley Foundation, which was to strengthen the eco-village aspect of the Valley, and in the communication of Krishna Valley the ecological aspect became paramount, drowning out all other interpretations. Not all inhabitants of the village welcomed this change and in response some began to emphasize the interpretation of Krishna Valley as a sacred place. In the current paper, I will present these two processes and the relationship between them through the lens of the interpretations of the members of the community. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue European Hinduism and Hinduism in Europe)
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