This book presents an original and comprehensive reading of the contemporary Mauritian society. It discusses the genesis of the Mauritian multicultural society; religious and cultural transformations; the cult of Kalimai; building of social relations and associations; and the link with sugar plantation economy.
1) This is the first comprehensive book on Mauritian Hinduism. 2) It contains a rich ethnographic study of the changing Mauritian society. 3) This book will be of interest to departments of religion, Hinduism, social anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, diaspora studies, sociology of religion and African studies.
Pavitranand Ramhota and Suzanne Chazan-Gillig in their book explore the unknown sources of the ritual practices of folk Hinduism. They have given a new idea of folk Hinduism which has never been searched and studied. This research is an advancement in the field of social sciences, humanities, theology and religions. Such a folk Hinduism is also found among the Indian communities in Fiji, Caribbean, African countries and in South Asia. The research can give new ideas when the universities of other Indian Diasporas, Indonesian and South Asian countries compare the transition of Mauritian Hinduism.
Mohan K. Gautam, Professor, Leiden University, The Netherlands
An outstanding work which fills the long overdue gap in scholarship on society and culture of Mauritius. What distinguishes this work is its novel approach of using religion as a key to the understanding of society. In the process it unravels the deeper layers of the Mauritian society and reveals to us its variegated and differentiated nature. In examining the religious beliefs, practices and institutions of Hindus in Mauritius, it shows how changes in the religious realm are deeply linked to changes in social, economic and even political realms. In a significant departure from Weberian thesis, this nuanced study illustrates how transformations in the economic foundations of the society deeply impact the religious beliefs, practices and institutions. In advocating a new approach - how a study of ceremonial practices can yield a comprehensive picture of society - the book paves the way for the study of other societies in a similar manner. The book will be useful not for scholars studying Mauritius but also for anthropologists, sociologists, culture and religious studies scholars.
Sanjay Kumar, Professor of English, Banaras Hindu University, India
Suzanne Chazan-Gillig is an anthropologist and was formerly a senior researcher and consultant at the Institute for the Research and Development (IRD), France. She earned a doctorate in anthropology from the University of Paris V. She has written several books in French and has carried out extensive fieldwork in Madagascar. Her book on Sakalava Society in Madagascar was published in 1991. She has extensively published her research papers in refereed journals in both English and French. She also conducted empirical research in Mauritius on the topic of migrations, exchange and industrialisation in the context of globalisation of markets. Since 2002 she has been studying the social changes on the west coast of Madagascar.
Pavitranand Ramhota is Associate Professor and Head of Department of Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the Rabindranath Tagore Institute, Mauritius. He has been UNICEF Consultant on Women and Children in Mauritius and UNESCO Consultant on the cultural heritage of Indian immigrants in Mauritius. He obtained a PhD in social anthropology with distinction from Institute National des Langues et Civilizations Orientale (Inalco), Paris. He has contributed several articles in refereed journals, and has organised many international seminars and conferences. He is currently working on Indian migration in the occidental Indian Ocean with a perspective of comparative forms of Hinduism and the world of capitalism.
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgements
In Memoriam
Introduction
1 Genesis of a Mauritian multicultural society
2 Observation of religious and cultural transformations
3 The Kalimais of Clemencia
4 The Kalimai of Beauvallon at Camp de Masque Pave: The nurturing of social relations and the emergence of associations
5 The rituals observed at various kalimais
6 The Kalimais of Boutique Joseph and l'Unite: Contexts and differences
7 Development of villages and temples in the east: Social segmentations
Glossary
Bibliography
Index