Contesting Hindu Representations in Media and Popular Culture

This edited volume explores how Hindus and Hinduism are represented in popular media—from films (Hindi and other Indian language films) and news media (Indian and Western) to stand-up comedy, as well as from devotional music to political art. Featuring contributions from scholars in the humanities, social sciences, and media studies, it examines portrayals—both representative and distorted—of Hindu beliefs, symbols, and practices. It includes a first-of-its-kind analysis of Indian stand-up comedy’s engagement with religion, as well as critical studies of films like Padmaavat and the exoticization and demonization of tantric rituals. This collection offers valuable insights for academics and general readers interested in global perceptions of the world’s third-largest religion, Hinduism, and how Hindus are presented, represented, characterized, and misrepresented. Given the lack of research on these issues, this anthology will provide the energy and direction for studies on identity, religion, and media literacy.

How do the media represent Hindus and Hinduism? Asking this question is itself contested, as the conflicts among and between Hindus, and among Hindus and others in India, are spiral-bound by the presence, challenges, and successes of Hindus abroad. The essays in this anthology offer a range of “experiences, voices, and disciplines of expertise and authority”. Some chapters are grounded in empirically rigorous primary data collection projects, while some are based on equally rigorous historical research. Other chapters rely on observations and case studies of recent trends and themes in social media and mainstream media representations of Hinduism. As the editors point out, “The media are global, and communicating to the ‘masses’ does not just involve offering facts but influencing the readers’/viewers’/listeners’ attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. It is no longer ‘big media’ targeting ‘mass audiences,’ but a variety of media platforms available to influential institutions and individuals alike, who offer material to anyone who has access to the world, which is now in everyone’s pockets through their smartphones.”