BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//jEvents 2.0 for Joomla//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1cff30cb1197289919abc2877bf7a002 CATEGORIES:Lecture / Reading / Talk CREATED:20211120T121114 SUMMARY:“Media of Miracles, Miracle of Media Clairvoyants and Commercials in a South Asian Diaspora Context” - A Talk by Dr. Neelima Shukla-Bhatt LOCATION:Ramanujan 002 Lecture Theatre DESCRIPTION:Contrary to the expectations of prominent twentieth century sociologists wh o predicted that religion would gradually disappear in the foreseeable futu re, it persists to be a significant component in personal and social life o f an overwhelming majority of people (84%) in the world in the twenty-first century. Yet, religious life has taken some unexpected turns in all parts of the world in recent history. A few of these turns, such as its links to identity politics and communal violence, have received tremendous media and scholarly attention. The changes that have imperceptibly filtered into eve ryday experience of religion in the context of globalization, especially th rough media and business however, remain little examined. Looking at commer cials for three spiritual healers/miracle workers on Indian TV channels in the United States during 2004-2009, this talk will explore the changing dyn amics of religion, media, and business in a contemporary diaspora context.   \n\n\nNeelima Shukla-Bhatt is an Associate Professor and Director of South Asia Studies at Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA. She studies religio n in South Asia with a focus on devotional literature of medieval north Ind ia with a focus on its performative aspects as platforms for community buil ding. The other areas of her research and publications cover goddess tradit ions in Gujarat, women poets of medieval India, South Asian models of relig ious pluralism, Gandhi’s thought, and South Asian religions in the context of globalization, especially as they traverse popular media. She is the aut hor of Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat: A Legacy of Bhakti in Songs and Stories (New York: Oxford, 2015) and co-author (with Surendra Bhana) of A Fire that Blazed in the Ocean: Gandhi and the Poems of Satyagraha in South Africa, 1 909-1911 (Delhi: Promilla, 2011). Her forthcoming book – Hinduism, the Basi cs – will be published by Routledge, UK. She has worked for over fifteen ye ars for the award-winning Pluralism Project directed by Diana Eck, first as a researcher and then as a faculty consultant.\n X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Contrary to the expectations of prominent twentieth century sociologists who predicted that religion would gradually disappear in the foreseeable f uture, it persists to be a significant component in personal and social lif e of an overwhelming majority of people (84%) in the world in the twenty-fi rst century. Yet, religious life has taken some unexpected turns in all par ts of the world in recent history. A few of these turns, such as its links to identity politics and communal violence, have received tremendous media and scholarly attention. The changes that have imperceptibly filtered into everyday experience of religion in the context of globalization, especially through media and business however, remain little examined. Looking at com mercials for three spiritual healers/miracle workers on Indian TV channels in the United States during 2004-2009, this talk will explore the changing dynamics of religion, media, and business in a contemporary diaspora contex t.  


Neelima Shukla-Bhatt is an Associate Professor and Di rector of South Asia Studies at Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA. She studies religion in South Asia with a focus on devotional literature of med ieval north India with a focus on its performative aspects as platforms for community building. The other areas of her research and publications cover goddess traditions in Gujarat, women poets of medieval India, South Asian models of religious pluralism, Gandhi’s thought, and South Asian religions in the context of globalization, especially as they traverse popular media. She is the author of Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat: A Legacy of Bhakti in Son gs and Stories (New York: Oxford, 2015) and co-author (with Surendra Bhana) of A Fire that Blazed in the Ocean: Gandhi and the Poems of Satyagraha in South Africa, 1909-1911 (Delhi: Promilla, 2011). Her forthcoming book – Hin duism, the Basics – will be published by Routledge, UK. She has worked for over fifteen years for the award-winning Pluralism Project directed by Dian a Eck, first as a researcher and then as a faculty consultant.

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