ABSTRACT
The 'cementing' role of religion in diaspora was the starting point for the author' interest as guest editors in working towards a Special Issue on Religion and the South Asian Diaspora. As the diaspora becomes established, studies of religious institutions often show 'a high degree of conflict and contestation' that may lead to intermittent periods of 'homogenization' and 'fragmentation' in community formation. Religious expressions, impacted by state regulations in multi-cultural settings can effect the 'compartmentalization' of religious life even as attempts at resistance through mobilization for minority rights lead to a heightening of religious awareness. Hence a closer scrutiny of the experiences of South Asian religious diasporas, their practices and their contentions becomes not only important but imperative. One of the interesting facts that emerge out of this exploration of religious diasporas of South Asian origin is that more often than not, most categories and frameworks that are used to deploy power in the diaspora are strategic and contingent.
