A Case Study of the Transplantation, Development and Adaption of the Ahmadiyya Jama’At in Kristiansand
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Defining Community and Expressing Identity: A Case Study of The Transplantation, Development and Adaption of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Kristiansand. Ryan Daniel Appleyard Supervisor David Herbert Abstract The overall aim of this study is to explore and analyze the South Asian Ahmadiyya community who settled in Kristiansand in 1987. The study aims to identify the extent to which changes occur in religious practices and community identity after migration to a new host country. This will include an analysis of the history of the community, the current context, and how new media shapes and reinforces the community’s religious and cultural identities. This master’s thesis is carried out as a part of the education at the University of Agder and is therefore approved as a part of this education. However, this does not imply that the University answers for the methods that are used or the conclusions that are drawn. University of Agder, 2015 Faculty of Humanities and Education Department of Religion, Philosophy and History 1 Omnis cum in tenebris praesertim vita laboret. Life is one long struggle in the dark. This thesis is dedicated to my grandparents who made the long and arduous migration from Russia to the UK during the Second World War in order to escape persecution. Acknowledgements I would like to first thank my wife Åshild Appleyard, who has been a great support during my time studying the MA, by encouraging me, and helping me through the darkest moments I experienced during the duration of my study. Not only has she helped read through my work on many occasions; she has also been fundamental in helping me gather data from activities that I was unable to attend due to my gender. I am also greatly indebted to my family, as they have gone to great lengths in providing me the opportunity to carry on and complete my studies. My appreciation, likewise, extends to the University of Agder, and, in particular, to my supervisor David Herbert, who has provided me with invaluable support and guidance throughout the whole 2-year course. My gratitude also goes to the Ahmadiyya community who has been open, cooperative, and helpful. I am deeply grateful for their help and for the relationships that have been built during this research project. 2 Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 The Research Topic and Research Questions. ..................................................................................... 5 Research Objectives and Research Justifications ................................................................................ 7 Hypothesis ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 Context .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Theory ................................................................................................................................................................ 19 Culture and Community ................................................................................................................................ 19 ‘Diaspora’ ............................................................................................................................................................ 22 Transplantation of Religion ........................................................................................................................ 26 Technology, Media, and Identity ............................................................................................................... 34 Religious Space ................................................................................................................................................. 42 Social Capital ..................................................................................................................................................... 44 Methods and Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 45 Findings & Discussion ............................................................................................................................... 47 History of the Ahmadiyya in Kristiansand ............................................................................................ 47 Bridging out into the wider community ................................................................................................ 51 The struggle for building a mosque ......................................................................................................... 54 Religious and cultural identities ............................................................................................................... 61 The Ahmadiyya and new media ................................................................................................................ 71 Ahmadiyya media usage survey ................................................................................................................ 80 Communal discourse on using new media ............................................................................................ 89 Trans-national networks .............................................................................................................................. 92 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................ 95 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................................... 99 Electronic Sources ....................................................................................................................................... 102 Primary Sources ........................................................................................................................................... 105 Secondary Sources ..................................................................................................................................... 105 Appendix ........................................................................................................................................................ 106 Interview Questions ..................................................................................................................................... 106 Media Diary ...................................................................................................................................................... 108 Online Survey Questions ............................................................................................................................ 110 3 Defining Community and Expressing Identity: A Case Study of The Transplantation, Development and Adaption of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Kristiansand. “Man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun” (Geertz, 1975a: 5). Introduction This study will look at the transplantation, development and adaption of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Kristiansand. First, I will outline my research topic with the accompanied research questions, which will provide a brief background of my research area, and the questions that have been formulated in order to address the research title. Second, I will provide a brief outline for my research objectives and justifications in order to demonstrate why this research area is important, and what contributions can be made as a result. Third, an explanation of how I arrived at my hypothesis will be discussed, by drawing on the research literature I have addressed. Fourth, the context will be framed by giving a general overview of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at and the community living in Kristiansand in particular. Fifth, I will address and outline the theories that have been used for the purpose of understanding how the Jama’at constructs its idea of community and expresses its identity in the host context of Kristiansand. Sixth, the methods and methodology that are applied in this study will be discussed. And finally, the data that I have collected over the past year will be shown and discussed in light of the theories I have explored earlier. 4 The Research Topic and Research Questions. The primary focus of this research is the role of the transplantation process of religion. This study aims to identify the extent to which changes occur in religious practices and community identity after migration to a new host country. This study will focus on the South Asian Ahmadiyya community who settled in Kristiansand in 1987 (Tønnessen, 1987: 19). The process of migration can be traumatic, dangerous, and uncertain for those individuals and communities who have left their home countries and established themselves in a new host country. During this process, the community goes through a reassessment of the meaning and nature of religious practices and ideas, and a new self-consciousness develops. Rituals performed in their home country have to be reassessed and made to function as best as possible in the host environment. Places of worship in the migrants’ home country would have been a normal part of their surroundings; however, the host country may