Mobility, Adaptability, and Accessibility:“Cute” Hanumān Figures Among Surinamese Hindu Children in The Netherlands

This article asks how the popular deity Hanumān has become one of the central figures for mobilizing a Surinamese Dutch Hindu “devotional public” with a specific appeal to preteen children in The Netherlands. The authors address this research question by examining a particular form of Hanumān, that of the “cuddly” or “cute” Hanumān that has been popularized in animated films such as Return of Hanuman and in cuddly toys sold at specialty stores and market stalls in The Netherlands. Building on in-depth ethnographic fieldwork carried out mostly between 2012 and 2016, this article not only introd... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Nugteren, Tineke
Swami, Priya
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2020
Reihe/Periodikum: Nugteren , T & Swami , P 2020 , ' Mobility, Adaptability, and Accessibility : “Cute” Hanumān Figures Among Surinamese Hindu Children in The Netherlands ' , International Journal of Hindu Studies , vol. 24 , no. 1 , 1 , pp. 1-32 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s11407-020-09269-1
Schlagwörter: devotion / Hanuman / children's religious socialization / visualization / Surinamese Dutch Hinduism
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-28621453
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://research.tilburguniversity.edu/en/publications/c76b091d-3ce9-4f5e-b844-cdd6cb6f9767

This article asks how the popular deity Hanumān has become one of the central figures for mobilizing a Surinamese Dutch Hindu “devotional public” with a specific appeal to preteen children in The Netherlands. The authors address this research question by examining a particular form of Hanumān, that of the “cuddly” or “cute” Hanumān that has been popularized in animated films such as Return of Hanuman and in cuddly toys sold at specialty stores and market stalls in The Netherlands. Building on in-depth ethnographic fieldwork carried out mostly between 2012 and 2016, this article not only introduces and conceptualizes the appeal of a “cute Hanumān” to preteens, but also aspires to assess the ways in which preteen children with a double migration background create deep devotional bonds to a deity in whom newly emerging, mediatized visualizations converge with their ancestors’ migratory heritage and comforting devotional performances.