The Zoroastrian Diaspora: Religion and Migration

What is the distinctive Zoroastrian experience, and what is the common diasporic experience? The Zoroastrian Diaspora is the outcome of twenty years of research and of archival and fieldwork in eleven countries, involving approximately 250,000 miles of travel. It has also involved a survey questionnaire in eight countries, yielding over 1,840 responses.This is the first book to attempt a global comparison of Diaspora groups in six continents. Little has been written about Zoroastrian communities as far apart as China, East Africa, Europe, America, and Australia or on Parsis in Mumbai post-Independence. Each chapter is based on unused original sources ranging from nineteenth century archives to contemporary newsletters. The book also includes studies of Zoroastrians on the Internet, audio-visual resources, and the modern development of Parsi novels in English.As well as studying the Zoroastrians for their own inherent importance, this book contextualizes the Zoroastrian migrations within contemporary debates on Diaspora studies. John R. Hinnells examines what it is like to be a religious Asian in Los Angeles or London, Sydney or Hong Kong. Moreover, he explores not only how experience differs from one country to another, but also the differences between cities in the same country, for example, Chicago and Houston. The survey data is used firstly to consider the distinguishing demographic features of the Zoroastrian communities in various countries; and secondly to analyse different patterns of assimilation between different groups: men and women and according to the level and type of education. Comparisons are also drawn between people from rural and urban backgrounds; and between generations in religious beliefs and practices, including the preservation of secular culture.

Table of Contents:
Preface 1: Introduction 2: Parsis in Post-Independence Bombay 3: The Diaspora: a bird's eye view (results of a global survey) 4: Parsis in Hong kong and the China Seas 5: Parsis in Karachi 6: Parsis in East Africa (Zanzibar and Kenya) 7: The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe 8: Zoroastrians on the North American Continent 9: Zoroastrians in Australia 10: Globalizing Trends 11: Conclusion

About the Author :
John R. Hinnells is Professor of Comparative Religion at Liverpool Hope University College. He was formerly Professor of Comparative Religion at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Review :
`A review from other book by this author extremely well-researched book ... John Hinnells' book is a major contribution to research on Zoroastrianism. It seems equally important for diaspora studies.' Michael Stausberg, BRILL (Numen Vol 46) `you do get preferential treatment in India, even today, when you mention that you are a Parsi. ... a fascinating, if sometimes painful, account of why this remains so.' The Times Higher Education Supplement, 15 August 1997 `A masterful introduction to Zoroastrian religion and to South Asian immigration in Britain...Absorbing, sensitive, and exhaustively researched, this book will remain the standard work for many years. Essential for college and research libraries.' Religious Studies Review `'...The author's affection for the Zoroastrian religion in general and the British community in particular, is clear to the reader from the outset; here, we have a labour of love, of which this volume is only the first fruit...His enthusiasm for the religion is infectious and his brief overview of Zoroastrian history from 1200 BCE to the present in a few pages leaves one breathless...Hinnells is adept at making what might have been a rather parochial history into an absorbing account of the politics of survival...'' Jnl Contemporary Religion