Globalisation and its effects on Religious Practices: A Case Study of the Hindu Community in Durban, South Africa

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of globalisation on Hindu cultural and religious practices. Even though there are various practices in Hinduism, colour has been known to be closely related to the Hindu religion, representing the expression of faiths and beliefs. For example, many Hindu deities have specific colours associated with their attire, signifying their qualities. Hence, with specific reference to colour, this case study explores how globalisation has impacted the use of colour in Hinduism. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 20 participants from the population. The participants include ten (10) senior citizens (age 55 and above) and ten (10) Hindu Priests. The selection criteria help to ensure that the selected participants have a deep knowledge of Hindu culture and religion. The participants were interviewed using open-ended questions and the collected data was analysed using thematic analysis. Five (5) themes emerged as an indication of the effects of globalisation. These include, i) differences between colour use among Hindus in South Africa and India, ii) western influence on colour use, iii) global propaganda (media and Internet), iv) problems with education and v) young Hindus’ lack of interest. The responses of all 20 participants also suggest that the richness of Hindu culture is strongly associated with the importance of colour. The colours are integrated into religion to such an extent that they hold important cultural, religious, and traditional meanings. As colours have a great significance in the Hindu religion, it can be said that this religion is represented by symbolic colours which form a large part of Hindu consciousness, festivals and celebrations.

Keywords

• colour symbolism
• globalisation
• hinduism
• religious practices
• westernisation