Current Institutional Affiliation
Associate Professor of Islamic Studies, Religious Studies, Stanford University

Award Information

International Dissertation Research Fellowship 2000
Institutional Affiliation (at time of award):
Religious Studies, University of California / Santa Barbara
Sharing Saints, Shrines, and Stories: Practicing Pluralism in India

Although religious interaction at shared sacred spaces such as Ayodhya and Jerusalem is often characterized by conflict, many other sites foster cooperation, coexistence and communication between diverse religious traditions and social groups. At these places, a common location and focus for worship provide a context for the articulation and performance of individual, communal, and religious identities. This dissertation will center on the narratives and practices of Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs associated with the shrine of a saint in Punjab, India. By mapping the genre, context, and content of stories, songs, rituals and practices, I will demonstrate the ways in which the site expresses and facilitates the convergence of complex and divergent beliefs and actions at a single site.

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