Paper short abstract:

In this presentation I will explore syncretistic intersections between Hindus and Catholics in Goa. I argue, that the belief that the village is an embodiment of the divine and practical concerns (neighborhood, genealogy,health) are at stake when Goan Hindus and Catholics cut across doctrines.

Paper long abstract:

Coexistence and syncretistic intersections between Hindus and Christians have become a widely studies subject in recent years. Research comes above all from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa. One major hypothesis is that the interrelationship between Hindus and Christians is based above all on the organization of the villages. Hence, it is argued that the close connection between caste hierarchy, economic redistribution and ritual honors brings the two religious communities together in a 'common system'. Christianity in Tamil Nadu has been described as 'a caste lifestyle' (Bayly) and the Hindus and Christians in Kerala are said to 'form one total community' (Fuller). While, acknowledging the similarities in South Indian and Goan village organization, I argue in this presentation that the coexistence and syncretistic intersection between Hindus and Catholics in Goa follows a different rationale. Rather than functional interactions between the social, the economic and the religious, I argue, epistemological perspectives such as the belief that the village is an embodiment of the divine and saintly and practical concerns, such as the concern for contiguity and neighbourhood, the concern for genealogy and family relations, and the concern for health and well-being are at stake when Goan Hindus and Catholics cut across doctrinal boundaries.