Abstract

The article focusses on the meaning of being "Hindu" for a Malaysian Indian teenager (Nali), who grew up in a rapidly transforming Malaysia during the big economic expansion and transformation of social and urban landscape begun in the late Eighties of the 20th century. The author analyzes what has changed for her in comparison to her parents. She then sketches what Hindu devotion means to a group - the Malaysian Indians - who are largely excluded from political power. Thus, she shows internal trends in Malaysian Hinduism in their relationship with the economical and social "progress" of Malaysia, and questions the possibility of interpreting whatever happens in Hinduism through theories of religion developed by Western scholars making sense of Western religions.