Shared Sacred Sites in South Asia: Religious Coexistence and Pluralism
The release of Shared Sacred Sites in South Asia provides an academic examination of how religious and cultural spaces foster social cohesion amid persistent religious and ethnic nationalism. The volume analyzes “sites in common”—including saints’ tombs, temples, churches, and natural elements—to understand how diverse communities navigate pluralism in Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Mauritius.
The Social Laboratory of Shared Faith
The book, published by Hurst Publishers, positions shared religious sites as active “social laboratories.” According to the contributors, these locations serve as environments where communities experiment with pluralism and its challenges, often operating in a state of “tensile equilibrium.” While religious and cultural identities are being weaponised for political gains, these shared spaces offer insights into the dynamics of religious interaction, showing how individuals interact with places outside their own religious affiliation.
The research emphasizes that these interactions are not always harmonious; conflict is no stranger to sharing. As noted by Magnus Marsden, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Sussex, the volume represents “Area Studies scholarship at its best,” particularly through its comparative lens. By examining locations as diverse as the Ajmer Dargah in India and holy waterbodies in Nepal, the authors illustrate the dynamics of religious interaction.
Geographic and Cultural Scope of the Study
The analysis spans multiple countries, identifying how markers—such as caste, class, language and gender—influence how people interact with religious sites outside their own religious affiliation. In Chennai, for example, the study explores how caste, recreation and shared religiosity intersect among Hindus, Christians and Muslims. Similarly, the work of Laurent Gayer and Sibtain Naqvi on the city of Amroha highlights “peacecraft: making coexistence work.”
The text challenges theoretical frameworks of religious demarcation. Instead of viewing religions as hermetically sealed systems, the authors examine the logics at work in people’s visits to places outside their own religious affiliation. Carla Bellamy, Professor of Anthropology and Religious Studies at Baruch College, CUNY, describes the book as a “capacious, compelling picture of lived religion in contemporary South Asia.”
Navigating the Politics of Belonging
The research also addresses the limitations of sharing. Christophe Jaffrelot’s contribution on the Ajmer Dargah Sharif highlights the shift from transactional Hindu-Muslim encounters to ethno-religious nationalisms.
