Lecturer: Frank J. Korom, Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Boston University (affiliation at the date recorded)


Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes


Date Recorded: December 2021


Subject: This lecture builds on a recently published article which discusses the dynamic tension between varying interpretations of the practice of Muharram in the Caribbean, known as Hosay in Trinidad. It reflects back on more than 15 years of on-and-off fieldwork and archival research on this phenomenon in the Caribbean. The central dispute that the author has noted over the years, both in popular print and in verbal discourse, is whether the performance practices associated with this central Shi’i ritual is a religious reenactment or a cultural performance. If the latter, then it transcends Shi’ism to become an appealing and emotive tradition for a variety of religious and ethnic groups on the island, which some of my consultants in the field referred to as the performance’s “universal appeal.”


Readings:


Frank J. Korom. “Reconciling the Local and the Global: The Ritual Space of Shi’i Islam in Trinidad,” Journal of Ritual Studies (1999): 21-36.


Frank J. Korom. “It Ain’t Religion; It’s Just Culture, Man!’ Muḥarram Controversies in the Indo-Caribbean Diaspora.” In Non-Shia Practices of Muḥarram in South Asia and the Diaspora, edited by Pushkar Sohoni and Torsten Tschacher. Routledge, 2021. 99-112.


Harn, Jessica. “What Happened During the 1884 Hosay Massacre in the Caribbean?” The Muslim Vibe, 21 October 2019.


Bio:

Frank J. Korom is a professor of religion and anthropology at Boston University, where he has been teaching since 1998. He has been a visiting professor at several universities both at home and abroad. He is the author and/or editor of 10 books and serves as co-editor of the journal titled Asian Ethnology, which is based at the Nanzan Anthropological Institute in Nagoya, Japan, where he is also a research associate. His interests in Islam range from Shi’ism to Sufism, especially how they are practiced and conceived in South Asia and the West. He is currently completing a book on the Tamil Sufi saint from Sri Lanka named Guru Bawa. Earlier this year he was awarded a Humboldt Prize for his overall academic achievements.

Documentary on the Hosay Rituals

Hosay Cedros – Uniting a Diaspora

Director: Dion Samsoondar | Producer: AnnMarie Samsoondar


Genre: Documentary | Produced In: 2012


Synopsis: On the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago every year since 1880 the fishing village of Cedros observes the Shia Muslim ritual of Muharram, known locally as Hosay. Through a collage of beautiful images, revealing interviews and poetic narration, this film documents the history of Hosay in Cedros. In particular, it tells of the unity among the early Indian laborers who lived on coconut plantations and who transcended religion, caste and gender to come together to commemorate this sacred event.

View HERE:

https://cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/54200/Hosay-Cedros—–Uniting-a-Diaspora