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Podcast: New Books in Indian Religions
Episode: Sabrina D. MisirHiralall, "Devotional Hindu Dance: A Return to the Sacred" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021)
Description: Devotional Hindu Dance: A Return to the Sacred (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) sheds light on the purpose of Hindu dance as devotional. Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall explains the history of Hindu dance and how colonization caused the dance form to move from sacred to a Westernized system that emphasizes culture. Postcolonialism is a main theme throughout this text, as religion and culture do not remain static. MisirHiralall points to a postcolonial return to Hindu dance as a religious and sacred dance form while positioning Hindu dance in the Western culture in which she lives.Raj Balkaran is a scholar, e...