The education of Hindu priests in the diaspora: Assessing the value of community of practice theory
ARTICLE
Michele Verma
TATE Volume 26, Number 1 ISSN 0742-051X Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Abstract
The utility and limitations of Lave and Wenger's social theory of learning can be evaluated through specific case studies which enhance our understanding of how education proceeds in diverse contexts. Here I provide an ethnographic case study of the training of Caribbean-born Hindu pandits (priests) living and working in Queens, New York. Sanatanist pandits have many responsibilities such as performing rituals, interpreting astrological charts and scripture, managing the day to day affairs of temples and counseling people. In order to explicate the process by which people are moved into the social roles of “pandit-in-training” and “pandit,” I shift between interviewees’ words, vignettes of their actions and my interpretation of communities of practice and its relevance for mapping the education of Hindu pandits.
Citation
Verma, M. The education of Hindu priests in the diaspora: Assessing the value of community of practice theory. Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 26(1), 11-21. Elsevier Ltd. Retrieved May 29, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/197111/.
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