MANCHESTER, UK, February 11, 2009: (Call for papers): A call for papers has gone out for a seminar entitled “The Public Representation of a Religion Called Hinduism: Modern Gurus, Sampradayas and Media Hinduism,” which is to be held July 8-9, 2009 at the University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. The seminar is part of a two year network project on the “public representation of Hinduism,” funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK.
The Manchester session will focus on ways in which Hinduism is represented–and how the ideas and practices of modern gurus and sampradayas overlap and interrelate with the many possibilities provided by modern media and communications technology.
Research is sought which explores the relationship between Hindu traditions and issues related to globalisation, including the commodification of religious ideas, objects and practices, examining such phenomena both in India and the diaspora.