Migration and the commoditisation of ritual: sacrifice, spectacle and contestations in Kerala, India

Osella, Filippo; Osella, Caroline

article

Migration and the commoditisation of ritual: sacrifice, spectacle and contestations in Kerala, India

Contributions to Indian sociology (n.s.) • 37 (1 & 2) • Published In 2003 • Pages: 109-139

By: Osella, Filippo, Osella, Caroline.

Abstract
This article discusses the effects on religious ritual arising from Kerala male out-migration to the Middle East. The focus is on an extremely expensive annual public ritual called kuthiyottam, which was customarily sponsored by a class of families from the upper Nayar caste. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Kerala men who accumulated wealth from working in Gulf States became important sources for sponsoring the ritual at different temples. This weakened the religious power and status of Nayar elites in favor of newly rich migrants, some of whom happened to be of previously despised lower-caste backgrounds. This power shift further transformed the ritual itself by injecting new aesthetic forms and religiosities.

Organized ceremonial

Prayers and sacrifices

Labor supply and employment

Income and demand

Accumulation of wealth

Status, role, and prestige

Castes

Acculturation and culture contact

Sociocultural trends

Inter-community relations

Political movements

Religious experience