Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Goloka Dhama: A Translocal Hare Krishna Community

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Translocal Ruralism

Part of the book series: GeoJournal Library ((GEJL,volume 103))

  • 1146 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter discussed Goloka Dhama, a Hare Krishna community in Germany, as an example of a translocal rural place. The community is part of a worldwide network of Hare Krishna communities and Goloka Dhama’s members are from various European countries. Most community members are attracted both by the spiritual offerings of the community as well as by its remote location. While living in Goloka Dhama, they are in touch with other Hare Krishna communities throughout the globe. Goloka Dhama is embedded in the local community through contacts with other Hare Krishna followers who live in the region as well as via contact with the local population. Based on in-depth interviews with (former) community members and people living in the neighbouring villages, this chapter illustrates how the religious community of Goloka Dhama contributes to shaping a translocal space, at the international, regional and local levels.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The text of the results in this chapter is based on Chapter 4 of my PhD thesis, Making a place of their own. Rural intentional communities in Northwest Europe (Meijering, 2006).

  2. 2.

    The interviews were held in German and English. I translated the German quotes into English. After each of the quotes, the role of the respondents in the community is indicated, as well as his/her gender and age.

  3. 3.

    The maha-mantra is the mantra of deliverance: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare

References

  • Anderson, B. (2000). Imagined communities. London, New York: Verso.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berg, B. L. (1998). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brickell, K., & Datta, A. (2011). Introduction: Translocal geographies. In K. Brickell & A. Datta (Eds.), Translocal geographies: Spaces, places, connections (pp. 3–22). London: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, E. F., & Ekstrand, M. L. (2004). Introduction. In E. F. Bryant & M. L. Ekstrand (Eds.), The Hare Krishna movement (pp. 1–11). New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glick Schiller, N., & Çağlar, A. (2009). Towards a comparative theory of locality in migration studies: Migrant incorporation and city scale. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 35(2), 177–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goloka Dhama. (2010). Goloka Dhama Tempel [Goloka Dhama Temple]. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from http://www.goloka-dhama.de

  • Goswami, M. (2001). Inside the Hare Krishna movement: An ancient eastern religious tradition comes of age in the Western world. Badger, CA: Torchlight.

    Google Scholar 

  • Govinda Natur, GmBH. (2010). Govindas Naturkost und Ayurveda [Govinda’s natural products and Ayurveda]. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from http://www.govindanatur.de

  • Hammersley, M., & Gomm, R. (2000). Introduction. In R. Gomm, M. Hammersley, & P. Foster (Eds.), Case study method (pp. 1–16). London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • International Society for Krishna Consciousness. (2010). ISKCON news. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from http://news.iskcon.org

  • Kanter, R. M. (1972). Commitment and community. Communes and utopias in sociological perspective. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knott, K. (2004). Healing the heart of ISKCON. The place of women. In E. F. Bryant & M. L. Ekstrand (Eds.), The Hare Krishna movement. The postcharismatic fate of a religious transplant (pp. 291–311). New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma, E. K. (2002). Translocal spatiality. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 5(2), 131–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meijering, L. (2006). Making a place of their own. Rural intentional communities in Northwest Europe. Royal Dutch Geographical Society/Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen (Netherlands Geographical Studies (NGS), 349).

    Google Scholar 

  • Muster, N. J. (2004). Life as a woman on Watseka Avenue. Personal story I. In E. F. Bryant & M. L. Ekstrand (Eds.), The Hare Krishna movement. The postcharismatic fate of a religious transplant (pp. 213–320). New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qureshi, K. (2006). Trans-boundary spaces: Scottish Pakistanis and trans-local/national identities. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(2), 207–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robson, C. (1993). Real world research. A resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schweig, G. M. (2004). Krishna. The intimate deity. In E. F. Bryant & M. L. Ekstrand (Eds.), The Hare Krishna movement (pp. 13–31). New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinatti, G. (2008). The making of urban translocalities: Senegalese migrants in Dakar and Zingonia. In M. P. Smith & J. Eade (Eds.), Transnational ties. Cities, migrations and identities (pp. 61–76). New Brunswick, NJ & London: Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. P. (2001). Transnational urbanism. Locating globalization. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sosis, R. (2000). Religion and intragroup cooperation: Preliminary results of a comparative analysis of utopian communities. Cross-Cultural Research, 34(1), 70–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research. Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanborn, P. G. (2003). Case-study’s. Wat, wanneer en hoe? [Case studies. What, when, and how?]. Amsterdam: Boom.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valentine, G. (2005). Tell me about…: Using interviews as a research methodology. In R. Flowerdew & D. Martin (Eds.), Methods in human geography. A guide for students doing a research project (pp. 110–127). Harlow: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Velayutham, S., & Wise, A. (2005). Moral economies of a translocal village: Obligation and shame amongst South Indian transnational migrants. Global Networks, 5(1), 27–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, D. (2004). Child abuse and the Hare Krishna’s: History and response. In E. F. Bryant & M. L. Ekstrand (Eds.), The Hare Krishna movement. The postcharismatic fate of a religious transplant (pp. 321–344). New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zecker, R. (2004). “Where everyone goes to meet everyone else”: The translocal creation of a Slovak immigrant community. Journal of Social History, 38(2), 423–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Spatial Sciences, Population Research Centre, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands

    Louise Meijering

Authors
  1. Louise Meijering
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Louise Meijering .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden

    Charlotta Hedberg

  2. , Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Av. Dos Bombeiros Voluntarioas de Alges 44, 7 dto., Lisbon, 1495-021, Portugal

    Renato Miguel do Carmo

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Meijering, L. (2012). Goloka Dhama: A Translocal Hare Krishna Community. In: Hedberg, C., do Carmo, R. (eds) Translocal Ruralism. GeoJournal Library, vol 103. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2315-3_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation