Reliving Christian Life in the Globalized World Today: Cultural Celebrations in Urban Churches of Mumbai

Contents: Foreword. Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Understanding culture : symbolic and interpretive anthropology - Geertz and Turner. 3. An overview of Christians in Mumbai. 4. Popular `cultural performance' : the novena at Mahim. 5. Christian transformative Site at Mahim : analysis and interpretation. 6. Over-four-hundred-year-old pilgrimage at Bandra. 7. Pilgrimage centre : a cathartic effect. 8. Bandra fair : crossing boundaries. 9. Major findings : beyond religious boundaries. Bibliography.

The first of its kind, this fascinating, exploratory and descriptive yet empirical study explores what compels Mumbaikars, i.e., urbanites to indulge in religious activities. Using Symbolic and Interpretive Anthropology, the role that symbols play in society and the theories of Cultural Anthropologists like Geertz and Turner; it delves deeper into how people celebrate an experience, how experiences become part of culture and how culture is renewed. Moreover, devotional practices are in reality a safety-valve that helps people to keep their sanity in a complex "electronic" world. The book is firmly grounded on careful and painstaking study on two contextualized cultural performances of Christians in Mumbai, i.e., Novena at St. Michael's Church and Pilgrimage at Mount Mary's Basilica. The author has prudently analyzed and interpreted the same and has succinctly presented her unique and revealing research findings together with a few recommendations. The book is a scientific study offered by the author as an easy to read guide. It will surely be beneficial for research in Sociology, Anthropology and Religion.