article
The place of religion in a north Indian village
Southwestern journal of anthropology • 15 (3) • Published In 1959 • Pages: 219-226
By: Opler, Morris Edward.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article discusses the role of religion, focusing on village Hinduism, in Senapur, a community of approximately 2000 people in 1955 in Uttar Pradesh, India. It shows that religion remained the alpha and omega of village life not so much because of any innate religiosity of villagers but due to its embeddedness to various aspects of local culture. To live a very full and estimable life, the article argues, a villager has to participate in the religious round. Religion justifies the continuity of a person's ties between his ancestors and his sons. Religion holds kin groups together through family rituals. It also provides travel, adventure, and new experience, and connects a villager with other villagers. Religion makes possible the rewarding of servants and dependents, facilitates property exchanges, and points to family status. It awakens courage and hope in areas of life where uncertainty and anxiety are most prevalent.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Community structure
- Religious experience
- Cultural identity and pride
- Religious denominations
- Organized ceremonial
- Rest days and holidays
- Puberty and initiation
- Ceremonial during infancy and childhood
- Gift giving
- Burial practices and funerals
- Mourning
- Shamans and psychotherapists
- Revelation and divination
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Uttar Pradesh
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2010
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Asia
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- South Asia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Anthropologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Teferi Abate Adem; 2010
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1955-1956
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1950-1956
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- State of Uttar Pradesh, India
- NotesAdditional notes
- Morris Edward Opler
- Includes bibliographical reference
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 47005758
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Uttar Pradesh (India)