CARIBBEAN HINDUISM on the MOVE by RUPA NARAYANA
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CARIBBEAN HINDUISM ON THE MOVE by RUPA NARAYANA PILLAI A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Anthropology and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2017 DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE Student: Rupa Narayana Pillai Title: Caribbean Hinduism on the Move This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Anthropology by: Lamia Karim Co-Chair (Primary) Carol Silverman Co-Chair Ana-Maurine Lara Core Member Arafaat A. Valiani Institutional Representative and Sara D. Hodges Interim Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded September 2017 ii © 2017 Rupa Narayana Pillai This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (United States) License. iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT Rupa Narayana Pillai Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology September 2017 Title: Caribbean Hinduism on the Move This dissertation is an ethnographic study of how members of the Indo-Guyanese community traveled from Guyana to New York City, carrying with them distinct understandings of Hinduism informed by their multiple dislocations and how they utilize religion as ideology and practice to help cultivate their identities as Indo-Guyanese Americans. I argue religion as a mobile concept, what I have termed as ‘religion on the move,’ gives a theoretical frame to understand how devotees adapt religion to help them navigate their identities in unknown territories. By studying more than devout individuals in places of worship, I have followed Caribbean Hinduism and Indo-Guyanese Hindus in New York City to various sites to appreciate how religion informs their experiences, operates on different scales (spatially, politically, and temporally), and negotiates power structures. I found that the Indo-Guyanese Hindu community asserts their ethnicity through Caribbean Hinduism to become visible, to overcome marginalization and to claim belonging in the United States. iv CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Rupa Narayana Pillai GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene University of Chicago, Chicago University of Texas, Austin DEGREES AWARDED: Doctor of Philosophy, Anthropology, 2017, University of Oregon Master of Arts, Social Sciences, 2007, University of Chicago Bachelor of Arts, South Asian Studies and Anthropology, 2006, University of Texas AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Migration and Mobilities Race and Ethnicity Anthropology of Religion Postcolonialism PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Graduate Teaching Fellow, Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, 2010-2011, 2012-2013, 2014-2017 Graduate Teaching Fellow, Department of Ethnic Studies, University of Oregon, 2011-2012 GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Laurel Research Award, Indo-Caribbean Gender Negotiation in New York City Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, 2011 Research Experience for Graduates Supplement, Hinduism’s Alternate Route: Caribbean Hinduism in New York City, National Science Foundation, 2010 Graduate Student Summer Research Award, Hinduism’s Alternate Route: Caribbean Hinduism in New York City, Center on Diversity and Community, University of Oregon, 2010 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my sincere appreciation to my committee for their assistance in the preparation of this dissertation, especially Dr. Lamia Karim whose guidance, support, and patience improved my skills as an ethnographer and a scholar. To Dr. Carol Silverman, thanks for your encouragement during these final years of training. A special thanks to Dr. Aletta Biersack whose shrewd comments and perceptive questions have been invaluable in developing my project and writing this dissertation. I also thank Drs. Diane Baxter, Alaí Reyes-Santos, Arafaat Valiani, Ana-Maurine Lara, and Nadia Loan whose generosity as scholars has benefitted me tremendously in writing this dissertation and developing my skills as an educator. To Dr. Stanley Thangaraj, I am forever grateful for your mentorship and encouragement in the past year. You all are superb examples of the scholars that I aspire to be like as I move forward in my next steps in academia. From the University of Oregon, I thank Aaron Greer, Christina O’Bryan, Angela Montague, Gennie Nguyen, Iván Sandoval Cervantes, Joe Henry, Marnie Atkins, Kathleen Piovesan, Tobin Hansen and Rucha Chandvankar. I have enjoyed discussing theory and ethnography with you all over the years. I now know I am an anthropologist and a better one at that because of your intellectual community. A special thanks to my dear colleague and friend MeCherri Abedi-Anim whose support and comradery has been priceless during these final years of writing. Also, Rory Walsh, thank you for your sharp wit which has kept me in good cheer during my time in the program and for demonstrating that archaeologists and cultural anthropologists have much in common. This research could not have been possible without the kindness and support of the Indo-Caribbean and Guyanese community in New York City who opened their homes vi and shared their experiences with me. A special thanks to Pritha, Chitra, and Radha Singh who helped me find my own voice as a scholar and the art in my scholarship. The hours spent drinking coffee at your kitchen table were some of my favorite times in the field. Romanee Kalicharran, thank you for your time, support, and encouragement which helped me overcome my initial timidness as a researcher. To Evadney Barrow, thanks for your friendship and support. I have treasured our conversations over the years at temple. I also thank Bina Mahabir, Paul Tennassee, and Joseph Ragnauth for the countless conversations which helped me understand Guyanese politics and Indian indenture in a way I never could through books. Similarly, I thank Anjanette M. Chan Tack and Sukshma Dittakavi, my research behin. I am so thankful we could discuss our research, troubleshoot problems in the field, and encourage each other in our respective projects. I appreciate having you both as friends and colleagues. Finally, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my family. A special thanks to my older sister Rathi whose encouragement and support have kept me grounded, motivated, and in good humor through this long process of earning a doctorate. We might have been on opposite coasts, but I appreciate that you are always there for me. I thank my godfather, Dr. C.A. Sivaram, whose skills as an educator I try to emulate in my own teaching. To my parents, I can never fully express my appreciation for your collective support or the opportunities you have provided me. Dad, thank you for always wanting to read my scholarship, asking pointed questions, and encouraging debates, which all drive me as a scholar. Mom, thank you for teaching me patience, how to listen, and when to argue, skills that help me both in the field, in the classroom, and in life in general. Without you all this dissertation would not have been. vii For Dada and Ammoomma viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................1 Worshipping Ganesh in Queens .....................................................................................1 The Hindoos/Hindus of America: Clarifying Religion, Race, and Ethnicity ................7 From Diasporic Religion to Religion on the Move .....................................................12 A Hopeful Migration: The Creation and Trajectory of Indo-Guyanese ......................16 A Brief History of Caribbean Hinduisms in New York City .......................................22 Who is the Real Hindu or Indian? ................................................................................32 The Other Indian on the High Plains ...........................................................................35 Methods........................................................................................................................42 Itinerary of the Dissertation .........................................................................................43 II. BECOMING AND BEING COOLIE: A BRIEF HISTORY OF INDO-GUYANESE ON THE MOVE .........................................................................46 Introduction ..................................................................................................................46 Who is coolie? ..............................................................................................................48 From India to the Caribbean ........................................................................................49 Becoming Coolie .........................................................................................................62 Being Coolie in British Guiana ....................................................................................67 Guyana’s Independence ...............................................................................................70 Becoming and Being Coolie in New York ..................................................................74 III. MAKING INDO-GUYANESE HINDU PLACES .....................................................87 Introduction ..................................................................................................................87 Theories