Paper short abstract:

In this paper, we will examine the phenomenon of pluri-religious affiliation by taking as a case study the life trajectory of an individual from the Himalayas. We will see in particular how the reflexivity generated by this pluri-religious affiliation changed his views on his religion by birth.

Paper long abstract:

How can someone be simultaneously Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, 'animist' and communist, when living besides in a very remote Himalayan valley (the Hongu valley, at the foot of the Mount Everest)? In order to understand this phenomenon, I propose to focus on the life trajectory of Parsuram Lamlochha (1938-2008), a Kulung Rai who took up this challenge successfully. To see how he discovered and became a member of these religions, in accordance with his personal history (put back into the context of the regional and national history of Nepal), will provide us with a good example to better understand the phenomenon of pluri-religious affiliation. More generally, by examining local views about what religion means and how these religions are perceived, we will see how such accumulation is possible. We will see in turn how this experience of different religions has changed his relation to his religion by birth. Finally, we will discuss the importance of taking into account the individual relationship to religious practices in order to understand how religion affects the group, and vice versa.