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We Have the Best Gods! The Encounter Between Hinduism and Christianity in La Réunion

Christian religion, imposed on South Indian immigrants from advent in La Reunion (Indian Ocean) by the French administration, did not succeed in eradicating belief in the Hindu gods: rather, Christianity became for the Tamils a matter of mere public display, acted out to satisfy the island's &q...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Asian and African studies (Leiden) 1997-12, Vol.32 (3-4), p.286-295
Main Author: Ghasarian, Christian
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Christian religion, imposed on South Indian immigrants from advent in La Reunion (Indian Ocean) by the French administration, did not succeed in eradicating belief in the Hindu gods: rather, Christianity became for the Tamils a matter of mere public display, acted out to satisfy the island's "others" and to demonstrate integration into the mainstream society. Meanwhile, Tamils in La Reunion today face an important dilemma emerging from within: to reform or not to reform their Hindu folk rites, as a brahmanic Hinduism is recently imported from India and propagated among Tamils of the younger generation.
ISSN:0021-9096
1745-2538
1568-5217
DOI:10.1163/156852197X00079