The amplified sacrifice
Sound, technology, and participation in modern Vedic ritual
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7099747 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Finnian M M Gerety (0000-0002-1521-1797, Department of Religious Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 560-578 |
| Publication date | 2017-09-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | South Asian History and Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1947-2498 • E-ISSN: 1947-2501 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19472498.2017.1371505 |
| OpenAlex | W2752299126 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 26 |
The amplification of religious sound in public spaces has become a key medium for negotiating identity, difference, and pluralism in societies worldwide. This paper explores the religious soundscape of Hindu traditions in Kerala, India by examining the role of sonic amplification in the sacrifices of Nambudiri Brahmins. While Brahmanical praxis is based on ancient liturgies from the first millennium BCE, the modern performance now incorporates microphones and loudspeakers that amplify recitations well beyond the power of the human voice. This technological shift coincides with significant changes in patronage and participation, as people from outside the Nambudiri community take a more active role in the funding, organization, and celebration of such rituals. In contrast to the private sacrifices of previous generations, the 'amplified sacrifice' is now carried out as a public Hindu festival with thousands of attendees and a full suite of marketing and media coverage. In this way, the local, sonic amplification of performance tracks with a regional, cultural 'amplification' of Vedic ritual and Nambudiri identity
Acoustics · Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Hinduism · Identity (music · Media studies · Political science · Praxis · Sacrifice · Sociology · Sound (geography · Soundscape · Anthropological Studies and Insights · History · Law · Music History and Culture · Philosophy · Religious studies · South Asian Cinema and Culture
Veda on Parade
The Sound Studies Reader
Religious Pluralism in South Asia and Europe
The Indian Mantra
Science, patriotism, and Mother Veda
What is a Public? Notes from South Asia
Namboodiri Brahmins
Namboodiri Brahmins
Religion Out Loud
Films
Vedic Voices
Sound and American Religions
Kerala Brahmins in Transition
Understanding Mantras
Migration and the commoditisation of ritual
A "Vedic Ritual" in Quotation Marks
Wrestling Against Time
The Nayars Today
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,56 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2022 (6) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |