Professor Rupa Pillai (University of Pennsylvania) will present "Is Caribbean Hinduism an Asian American Religion?" as part of the lecture series on Asian American religious life. 

Hinduism is often understood as a single, homogenized religion, but, to the contrary, there is not a single Hinduism but many Hinduisms. Hinduism practiced in the United States is not limited by traditions practiced by Indians who immigrated straight from India. Within the growing landscape of American Hinduisms, Caribbean Hinduism is emerging as a vibrant set of traditions that raises critical questions of what defines Asian American religions, who counts as Asian American, and what American means in Asian Americans. Drawing upon ethnographic research of Caribbean Hinduism in New York City, this talk offers an introduction to Hindu traditions with a history of migration first to the Caribbean and second to New York City. By discussing how this migration history shapes the adaptations of Hinduism, Pillai will illustrate how the racial structures of the Caribbean, specifically Guyana, as well as the United States impact how Indo-Caribbeans mobilize around Caribbean Hinduism to become visible and legible in the city.