Diwali Show 2007:
Inter-Generational Cultural Transmission
in the Minneapolis Indo-Caribbean Community
Through observation and participation in the Diwali Culural Show with the M.H.D.S. Vishnu Mandir, we learned about the complex processes of transmission and transformation of cultural identities as they are passed through generations. The unique nature of our participatory observation, as we performed in the show alongside cultural insiders, gave us special insight into the ways that traditions are inherited and cultural identities are formed. We learned these things alongside the people we were studying and experienced parts of this process first hand. For this ethnography, we are endeavoring to share these same experiences and insights with you, the reader, as we present the information we gathered. Our presentation reflects this idea as we have tried to create an experience similar to ours in the mandir and by allowing you to explore in a way that tries to simulate the way that we interacted in the community. We share this experience alongside the interpretations and connections we made throughout the process, so you may directly understand how we came to our conclusions as well as make some of your own. In this website, we invite you to explore the mandir, participate in activities, talk to people, and view, listen, and experience all of the information that we gathered along the way. Click on the picture above or the words "Enter The Mandir" to begin your experience.