University of Manchester invites research papers for an International Seminar on Modern Gurus, Sampradayas and Media Hinduism

The international seminar is part of a two-year network project on ‘The Public Representation of a Religion called Hinduism’, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the United Kingdom. An ongoing project, it is part of School of Arts, Histories and Cultures of University of Manchester. The focus of the current session is on ways in which Hinduism is represented firstly through the ideas and practices of modern gurus and Sampradayas, and secondly, through the full range of modern media and communications technology.

This network project - ‘The Public Representation of a Religion called Hinduism’ – looks at the various ways in which Hinduism has asserted and maintained a public presence in a range of contemporary contexts. The seminar, which will be held in Manchester in July 2009, is the fourth in the project series.

Previous seminars have examined –

• Modern temple building and public forms of worship,
• Hindu nationalist organizations in social and political context,
• Umbrella organizations and ecumenical Hinduism.

The overall aim of the project is to examine ways in which Hinduism has asserted and maintained a public presence in a range of contemporary contexts.

You can send a paper proposal on Modern Gurus, Sampradayas and Media Hinduism by March 31, 2009. You can find more details about the Manchester Seminar here.