2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
A Cultural Anthropological Study of the Changes in Urban Festivals in Northern and Western India
| Project/Area Number |
15401035
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 海外学術 |
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| Research Field |
Cultural anthropology/Folklore
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| Research Institution | National Museum of Ethnology |
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Principal Investigator |
MIO Minoru National Museum of Ethnology, Department of Social Research, Associate Professor, 民族文化研究部, 助教授 (50242029)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
YAGI Yuko Miyagi Gakuin Women's University, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Associate Professor, 学芸学部, 助教授 (70212272)
KOMAKI Sachiyo Kyoto University, Institute for Research in Humanities, Research Associate, 人文科学研究所, 助手 (20303901)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2005
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| Keywords | South Asia / Cultural Anthropology / Religious Festival / Hinduism / Islam / Nationalism / Urban Studies |
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| Research Abstract |
In Indian cities after 1990's a new kind of Hindu festivals became considerably popular. The features of these festivals are ; 1.They are celebrated not by the basis of traditional social relationship but by voluntary individuals. 2.Organizing bodies and audience are clearly demarcated. 3.Entertaining nature of festivals has become intensified. The popularity of urban festivals is surmised to be closely related with contemporary Indian socio-political situation, such as rapid economic growth, increase of the new urban middle class, flourishing of consumer culture, and prosperity of the Hindu nationalism.
This project aimed to investigate the spread of new urban festivals and its socio-political background from anthropological point of view in the northern and western India where both the modernization and the rise of the Hindu nationalism are remarkable. The project also did field works among villages and Muslims in order to compare with the urban Hindu middle class.
As a result, the following points became clear ; 1.The consumer culture has penetrated even in local towns. 2.New entertaining elements tend to be abundantly taken in Hindu festivals in every city. 3.These new festivals are widely supported by urban young middle class and become more gorgeous and popular. 4.The contemporary social modernization has extended over rural area. On the other hand, festivities among Muslim festivals became to be restrained against the prevalence of reconsideration on Islamic practices. Besides, the intensity of correlation between the popularity of urban festivals and the Hindu nationalism movement is widely different from one city to another. This phenomenon seems to reflect the variety of social composition and political situation of each city. It will be necessary to investigate minutely the relationship of Hindu nationalism and the dynamics of urban society, considering different historical background and social composition of each city.
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