The role of music in the Hindi Shiksha Sangh (South Africa).

Abstract

The promotion of the Hindi language by the Hindi Shiksha Sangh (South Africa) has dominated the cultural life of the majority of Hindi-speaking Hindus in South Africa for over fifty years. This study concerns itself with the role of music in the construction of a local Hindi identity in the Sangh. It examines the factors that created and sustained the Hindi identity. Areas that come under focus in the research include: the history of the Hindi-speaking Hindu and their language in South Africa; the promotion of the Hindi language; the role assumed by the Hindi Shiksha Sangh . (South Africa) ; the function and significance of music and the socio-historical context of music that informs the cultural identity of the Hindi-speaking Hindu. The theoretical basis for this research has been drawn from principles in musical ethnography. The study locates the cultural identity of a linguistic group within the premise of socially meaningful music.