South Asian Religions in the Americas

The first survey and assessment of nearly all published materials concerning South Asian religious traditions in the Americas, this bibliography brings the field together under a synoptic view and critically depicts South Asian religious traditions from the multi-optic perspective of 925 publications. The work sets the parameters of an emerging field of scholarly research, the study of transplanted religious traditions, and defines a sub-field of the research, the religions of South Asian immigrants in the western hemisphere. For years to come, this study will define the discipline, be the primary bibliographical resource, and provide the most comprehensive description of South Asian religious traditions in the Americas.

Chapter One evaluates the scholarship that has been produced about these transplanted traditions, noting subject areas that are reasonably well covered while pointing out research opportunities that remain to be exploited. Chapter Two reviews bibliographical resources for all the Americas. Subsequent chapters provide content summaries and critical evaluation for publications before 1960, general studies of the South Asian immigrant population, periodicals and newspapers, Hindus, Muslims, Ismailis, Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, and others in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and South America. The volume offers evidence that South Asian religious traditions develop fundamentally new traits overseas according to the conditions of the host country. Further, in America, it concludes that Asian religious traditions are now American religious traditions contributing to a new American religious pluralism that fundamentally alters the religious milieu of America.

JOHN Y. FENTON is a Professor in the Department of Religion at Emory University. He has carried out research on the religious traditions of South Asian immigrants in America since 1979. His books include Transplanting Religious Traditions: Asian Indians in America (Praeger, 1988) and Religions of Asia (1988).