Swadharma is a semi-annual publication dedicated to the presentation of Hinduism and Indian philosophy. Swadharma seeks to broaden the knowledge and understanding of Hinduism by serving as a medium of intellectual exchange between scholars, academics, and the global community. Blending scholarly articles, interviews, academic research, and editorials, the journal broadly examines views and perspectives on modern Hinduism with the goal to create better awareness and understanding of the tradition by Hindus and non-Hindus alike.
Volume II, May 2007 - Letter from the Editors
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Welcome to Volume II of Swadharma, Harvard’s Hinduism Journal. We began this journal last year to further the understanding of Hinduism in the Harvard community and beyond and to wrestle with a fundamental paradox: Hinduism, the world’s third most practiced religion, is one of the world’s oldest continuous traditions, yet it is perhaps the least understood, especially in the Western world. Swadharma seeks to improve the knowledge and understanding of Hinduism among Hindus and non-Hindus; foster dialogue between scholars, academics, and students; and most importantly, raise awareness of a religion whose followers comprise more than 15% of the modern world population.
Our theme for this volume is “An American Hinduism: A Study in Diversity”. Hinduism has reached all parts of the globe but finds one of its most unique and diverse communities in America. We begin this issue with Pranay Gupte’s 1977 article chronicling the opening of the Queens Temple in New York. The temple has since become one of the most frequented Hindu landmarks in America and is indeed one of the seeds of today’s Hindu-American community.
Our first article examines Hinduism’s future in America and discusses crucial factors necessary for the maintenance of an American Hinduism. Later articles focus on distinct Hindu-American communities and personal experiences that have shaped the Hindu-American identity. We have also included academic articles
that address the mechanisms by which Hindu-America was formed and how it should be studied in the context of other world religions. We hope that this collection of articles paints a realistic picture of the history and future of Hindu-America.
The publication of Swadharma would not have been possible without the help of many individuals. We would especially like to thank the Harvard University Asia Center, the Harvard Undergraduate Council, and the Office for the Arts at Harvard for their kind support. In addition, we are indebted to Dr. Bal Ram Singh and Dr. Corinne Dempsey for their editorial assistance. We would also like to thank all of our contributors for taking the time to examine a topic that will no doubt be of great importance as the Hindu-American population grows in size and influence.
Sincerely,
The Editorial Board
