Crisis and Continuation: The Digital Relocation of Jain Socio-Religious Praxis during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In early 2020, Jain diaspora communities and organizations that had been painstakingly built over the past decades were faced with the far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its concomitant restrictions. With the possibility of regular face-to-face contact and participation in recurring events—praying, eating, learning, and meditating together—severely limited in most places, organizations were compelled to make a choice. They either had to suspend their activities, leaving members to organize their religious activities on an individual or household basis, or pursue the continuation of some of their habitual activities in an online format, relying on their members’ motivation and technical skills. This study will explore how many Jain organizations in London took to digital media in its different forms to continue to engage with their members throughout 2020. Looking at a selection of websites and social media channels, it will examine online discourses that reveal the social and mental impact of the pandemic on Jains and the broader community, explore the relocation of activities to the digital realm, and assess participation in these activities. In doing so, this article will open a discussion on the long-term effects of this crisis-induced digital turn in Jain religious praxis, and in socio-cultural life in general.

The use of social media platforms by migrant and ethnic minority populations during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review

“…43 Eight studies reported on migrants, 27 29 32 40-44 including migrants in the host countries of China 40 , Jordan 41 , Quatar, 42 Turkey 43 , and the US 32 and UK 27 29 , and one study involved predominantly migrants from Venezuela residing in other countries. 44 Nine studies reported about a specific ethnic minority or group (Latino individuals, 32 34 36 37 Black American citizens, 35 39 , Jain community members 28 and Syrian migrants 41 43 ). Seven studies reported about ethnic minority groups generally 24-26 30 31 33 38 .…”

“…For the Latino community in the US, faith and community bonds were valued ways of coping with the difficulties of the pandemic which included feelings of social isolation, stress, and uncertainty and – according to one study – social media facilitated these connections in a virtual space 37 . The Jain community in London used social media to communicate news and knowledge about COVID-19 and stay connected online, with events moving to a virtual space; individuals reportedly benefited from and were grateful for this community use of social media 28 .…”

“…21 data sources were included in the final analysis (Figure 1). Six studies were conducted in the UK [24][25][26][27][28][29] , two were jointly conducted in the UK and US 30 31 . An additional eight studies were conducted in the US, [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] and one each in China, 40 Jordan, 41 Qatar, 42 and Turkey.…”

Religiosity and Cooperation: The COVID-19 Pandemic in Slovenia

“…On the global level, it is easy to identify many expressions of cooperation: in general, organized religions have more or less adapted to the various kinds of lockdowns. The holidays (mentioned in Note 2) as well as basic rituals were all either cancelled in their usual formats or took place in a modified manner (Moro ń et al 2021;Vekemans 2021;Ganiel 2021). In contrast, there were also many conscious or unconscious expressions of defection among religious actors.…”

Practicing Religion during a Pandemic: On Religious Routines, Embodiment, and Performativity

“…Digital religion and online religion have been widely examined in recent years; see for example the work of Campbell (2012), Campbell and Evolvi (2020), Evolvi (2021), Helland (2016), andHutchings (2017) for a more extensive overview. This last year and a half has led scholars to further explore religion and religious practices in pandemic times; see for instance Campbell (2020bCampbell ( , 2020c, Capponi and Araújo (2020), Dein et al (2020), Przywara et al (2021), Sabaté Gauxachs et al (2021), andVekemans (2021). As have many other religious groups and communities, the Catholic Church in Belgium had to make a swift and radical shift towards the online sphere in the spring of 2020 due to the federal measures in order to combat COVID-19.…”