A New God in the Diaspora?

This book examines the worship in contemporary Singapore of the Hindu deity Muneeswaran. The strong presence and veneration of this male deity on the island, and the innovative styles of religiosity now associated with him, justify calling Muneeswaran a ‘new’ god from the Diaspora.

The author documents a neglected aspect of local Hinduism and the ritual domain surrounding guardian deities (kaval deivam) such as Muneeswaran. She raises a broader question: why does this deity, brought from Tamilnadu to Malaya more than 170 years ago, have such a strong appeal for young Singaporean Hindus three and four generations removed from their Indian origins.

This study ‘will become an important link in a small but growing interdisciplinary field: the study of continuity, change and innovation in new urban Hindu-based religiosity’ (external reader).

Contextualizing Muneeswaran Worship in "Simgaporean Hinduism"
The Issue of Identity: Who is Muneeswaran?
Locating Muneeswaran in Urban Singapore
A Popularity Question:Muneeswaran's Appeal
Muneeswaran: Straddling Different Domains
Making Sense of Muneeswaran in Singapore: What are the Possibilities

Appendices, Notes, Glossary, Bibliography, Index

"Sinha has written a book with implications for the study of religious change that go beyond Hinduism and the laboratory of Singapore."

Reviewed by Daniel P.S. Goh, Asian Journal of Social Science, vol. 36, 2008

"The book is a first of its kind in documenting the rise of a God amongst Hindus outside the Indian subcontinent.

... The author deserves recognition for the thoroughness with which the book has been completed."

Reviewed by A. Mani, Professor of Asia Pacific Studies at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan, Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia Vol. 23, No. 1 (2008)

Vineeta Sinha

Vineeta Sinha is an associate professor at the National University of Singapore in the Department of Sociology. She writes on a range of subjects including but not limited to the Hindu diaspora, sociological theory, and the sociology and anthropology of religion.

Sinha works on various publications such as the e-Bulletin (a publication for the International Sociological Association) and the Social Sciences in Asia (Monograph Series). She is also Deputy Editor of the Asian Journal of Social Science, published at Leiden.

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A New God in the Diaspora?

Muneeswaran Worship in Contemporary Singapore

by Vineeta Sinha

Vineeta Sinha

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