Negotiating Linguistic and Religious Diversity: A Tamil Hindu Temple in Australia

This research explores the challenges of a Tamil Saivite temple in Australia maintaining its linguistic and cultural identity in a context of religious superdiversity. It examines the language ideology considerations in the design of institutional language policy and how such policy manifests in language use in the temple spaces, including the Sunday school where heritage language and religion interplay in the identifications and discourse of second-generation migrant adolescents.

Format: Hardback
Length: 152 pages
Publication date: 06 July 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Diversity is a hot topic in our society, but the extent of religious diversity in Western societies is often misunderstood. This groundbreaking research highlights the journey of one migrant religious institution in a period of religious superdiversity.

Based on a sociolinguistic ethnography in a Tamil Saivite temple in Australia, the book explores the challenges the institution faces in maintaining its linguistic and cultural identity in a new context. The temple caters to devotees from diverse ethnic backgrounds, languages, and religious interpretations, as well as divergent views among different generations of migrants who share ethnicity and language. At the same time, core members of the temple strive to continue religious and cultural practices according to the traditions of their homeland in Sri Lanka, a country where their identity and language have been under threat.

The study provides a detailed account of changing language practices within a diasporic religious institution. Perera examines language ideology considerations in the design of institutional language policy and how such policy manifests in language use within the temple spaces. This includes the temple's Sunday school, where heritage language and religion interplay in the identities and discourse of second-generation migrant adolescents.

Overall, the book offers a valuable insight into the complexities of religious diversity and the challenges faced by migrant religious institutions in maintaining their identity and practices in a changing world. It sheds light on the importance of language in shaping religious experiences and the role of institutions in navigating the diverse linguistic and cultural landscape of modern societies.

Weight: 480g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032115818