‘I Believe in Something; I Don’t Know What It Is’: An Exploration of Five British Hindus’ Worldviews Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

Previous research has suggested individuals can draw on resources from a diverse range of existential cultures when constructing their personal worldviews. However, the ways individuals' beliefs and worldviews are acquired and develop is still only partially understood. This study investigates these processes of worldview dynamics by exploring the beliefs and practices of five British Hindus. Semi-structured interviews with each participant were inductively analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). This analysis developed six sub-themes which formed two superordinate themes: 'Everybody has their own way' and 'Focusing on this world'. The analysis shows the complexity of many individuals' worldviews and demonstrates how individuals can live in a hinterland between religiosity and non-religiosity. For these participants, existential beliefs were idiosyncratic and deeply personal. They rejected some aspects of their cultural heritage while retaining others. The participants were comfortable with uncertainty about such matters and were highly tolerant of divergent beliefs. Understanding how these participants made sense of their world increases our understanding of both worldview dynamics and the forms that secularity can take in modern Britain. This shows why more nuanced understandings of 'belief' are necessary to explore the complexity of people's lived experiences.