The Zoroastrian Diaspora

The Zoroastrian Diaspora
Author: John R. Hinnells
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 884
Release: 2005-04-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780191513503

What is the distinctive Zoroastrian experience, and what is the common diasporic experience? The Zoroastrian Diaspora is the outcome of twenty years of research and of archival and fieldwork in eleven countries, involving approximately 250,000 miles of travel. It has also involved a survey questionnaire in eight countries, yielding over 1,840 responses. This is the first book to attempt a global comparison of Diaspora groups in six continents. Little has been written about Zoroastrian communities as far apart as China, East Africa, Europe, America, and Australia or on Parsis in Mumbai post-Independence. Each chapter is based on unused original sources ranging from nineteenth century archives to contemporary newsletters. The book also includes studies of Zoroastrians on the Internet, audio-visual resources, and the modern development of Parsi novels in English. As well as studying the Zoroastrians for their own inherent importance, this book contextualizes the Zoroastrian migrations within contemporary debates on Diaspora studies. John R. Hinnells examines what it is like to be a religious Asian in Los Angeles or London, Sydney or Hong Kong. Moreover, he explores not only how experience differs from one country to another, but also the differences between cities in the same country, for example, Chicago and Houston. The survey data is used firstly to consider the distinguishing demographic features of the Zoroastrian communities in various countries; and secondly to analyse different patterns of assimilation between different groups: men and women and according to the level and type of education. Comparisons are also drawn between people from rural and urban backgrounds; and between generations in religious beliefs and practices, including the preservation of secular culture.

The Zoroastrian Myth of Migration from Iran and Settlement in the Indian Diaspora

The Zoroastrian Myth of Migration from Iran and Settlement in the Indian Diaspora
Author: Alan Williams
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2009-09-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9047430425

The Qesse-ye Sanjān is the sole surviving account of the emigration of Zoroastrians from Iran to India to form the Parsi (‘Persian’) community. Written in Persian couplets in India in 1599 by a Zoroastrian priest, it is a work many know of, but few have actually read, let alone studied in depth. This book provides a romanised transcription from the oldest manuscripts, an elegant metrical translation, detailed commentary and, most importantly, a radical new theory of how such a text should be “read”, i.e. not as a historical chronical but as a charter of Zoroastrian identity, foundation myth and justification of the Parsi presence in India. The book fills a lacuna that has been acutely felt for a long time.

Parsis in India and the Diaspora

Parsis in India and the Diaspora
Author: John Hinnells
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2007-10-22
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1134067526

The Parsis are India's smallest minority community, yet they have exercised a huge influence on the country. This book, written by notable experts in the field, explores various key aspects of the Parsis, spanning the time from their arrival in India to the twenty-first century.

Zoroastrian and Parsi Studies

Zoroastrian and Parsi Studies
Author: John R. Hinnells
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 347
Release: 2017-11-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1351731750

This title was first published in 2000: This volume collects articles from 30 years of John R. Hinnell's writings. The selection is intended to balance the different areas in which he has worked: the ancient tradition and its influence on Biblical imagery; Parsi history; the living religion; and diaspora communities.

The Jews of Islam

The Jews of Islam
Author: Bernard Lewis
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2014-09-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 1400852226

This landmark book probes Muslims' attitudes toward Jews and Judaism as a special case of their view of other religious minorities in predominantly Muslim societies. With authority, sympathy and wit, Bernard Lewis demolishes two competing stereotypes: the Islamophobic picture of the fanatical Muslim warrior, sword in one hand and Qur'ān in the other, and the overly romanticized depiction of Muslim societies as interfaith utopias. Featuring a new introduction by Mark R. Cohen, this Princeton Classics edition sets the Judaeo-Islamic tradition against a vivid background of Jewish and Islamic history. For those wishing a concise overview of the long period of Jewish-Muslim relations, The Jews of Islam remains an essential starting point.

The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States

The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States
Author: Harold Coward
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2012-02-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0791493024

This book explores the experience of religious communities that have migrated from South Asia (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) to live in Britain, Canada, and the United States, three countries sharing a common language (English) and an interwoven history. The work introduces the migration history of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs along with the cultural nuances of these traditions. The contributors discuss the various communities' experiences that grow out of or are related to religion. The book shows how traditions are reformed or reinvented and how they are passed on, both through the family and through institutions. Issues related to public policy and minority status are also addressed. While the main focus is on the Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities, specific sections also cover South Asian Christians, the Zoroastrian diaspora, and new religious movements in the West led by South Asians. The book strikes a balance between stories and statistics in order to emphasize the narrative of the immigrants' experience. [Contributors include: Roger Ballard, Judith Coney, Harold Coward, Diana L. Eck, Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, John R. Hinnells, Kim Knott, Gurinder Singh Mann, Sheila McDonough, Jørgen S. Nielsen, Joseph T. O'Connell, and Raymond Brady Williams.]

Contemporary Zoroastrians

Contemporary Zoroastrians
Author: Rashna Writer
Publisher:
Total Pages: 306
Release: 1994
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

The contemporary Zoroastrians are, arguably, the world's smallest religious-ethnic group. In this book, Writer examines the two major constituent groups, Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrians and analyzes the diversity as well as the unifying features specific among them. Writer enhances her theoretical framework with extensive interviews with the living community, conducted on three continentsóAsia, Europe, and North America. Contents: Historical Background. Zoroastrian Antecendents; Parsi Migration and Acclimation in India; The Zoroastrians of Iran. Disparate Cultures: Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrians; The Contemporary Political Mileux: Iran and India; Present Day Community Shibboleths and Legal Precedents. Intermarriage; Conversation; The Parsi Pancyayat Case Suite No. 689 of 1906 in the High Court of Bombay; Zoroastrians in the Old Countries The Parsis of India and Pakistan: An Introduction; The Parsis of India; The Parsis of Pakistan; Iranian Zoroastrian Refugees; Zoroastrians of the Diaspora. The Zoroastrians of North America: USA and Canada; The Zorastrians of Great Britain; Contemporary Zoroastrians: An Unstructured Nation? Maps throughout.

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism
Author: Michael Stausberg
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 706
Release: 2015-06-22
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1444331353

This is the first ever comprehensive English-language survey of Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest living religions Evenly divided into five thematic sections beginning with an introduction to Zoroaster/Zarathustra and concluding with the intersections of Zoroastrianism and other religions Reflects the global nature of Zoroastrian studies with contributions from 34 international authorities from 10 countries Presents Zoroastrianism as a cluster of dynamic historical and contextualized phenomena, reflecting the current trend to move away from textual essentialism in the study of religion

Between Boston and Bombay

Between Boston and Bombay
Author: Jenny Rose
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 341
Release: 2019-11-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 3030252051

A few years after the American declaration of independence, the first American ships set sail to India. The commercial links that American merchant mariners established with the Parsis of Bombay contributed significantly to the material and intellectual culture of the early Republic in ways that have not been explored until now. This book maps the circulation of goods, capital and ideas between Bombay Parsis and their contemporaries in the northeastern United States, uncovering a surprising range of cultural interaction. Just as goods and gifts from the Zoroastrians of India quickly became an integral part of popular culture along the eastern seaboard of the U.S., so their newly translated religious texts had a considerable impact on American thought. Using a wealth of previously unpublished primary sources, this work presents the narrative of American-Parsi encounters within the broader context of developing global trade and knowledge.