This book is the story of how in six different locations indentured workers from India were able to design Hindu communities for themselves, and how those communities continue to thrive in those postcolonial societies. In the colonial era, the recruitment of workers had many of the features of the earlier slave trade. As the late nineteenth century wore on, however, the colonial regimes in these places lost interest in governing and the workers were largely left to design a culture for themselves. In each location, the Hindu majority among the Indians developed a style of worship that linked t ... More

This book is the story of how in six different locations indentured workers from India were able to design Hindu communities for themselves, and how those communities continue to thrive in those postcolonial societies. In the colonial era, the recruitment of workers had many of the features of the earlier slave trade. As the late nineteenth century wore on, however, the colonial regimes in these places lost interest in governing and the workers were largely left to design a culture for themselves. In each location, the Hindu majority among the Indians developed a style of worship that linked their memories of home with the opportunities available in their new social environment. This was the first large‐scale diaspora of Hindus from the Indian subcontinent, and because they did not have religious specialists with them, they had to create a sense of community for themselves and then determine the ritual forms they would use to sustain that community. Because of the energy needed to initiate and sustain this kind of religious community, the Hindus in these locations are unusually proud of their religious traditions and have taught these new traditions to succeeding generations as authoritative traditions. When the author and his family lived among them in 1995–96 and in 2000, the Hindus in these societies eagerly assisted with the field work and showed great pride in what they considered their new homeland.