In this episode, Prof. Leilah Vevaina at the CUHK Department of Anthropology will be talking about her research on the Indian Zoroastrian, or Parsi, community in Mumbai, India and Hong Kong. Leilah does not only look at the religious endowments and the trust as a mechanism of property management in the city, but also the interaction between the Parsi community and the city and the dynamics within the group. Her recent research focuses on Zoroastrian death rituals and funerary infrastructures, offering an insight about how religious beliefs and practices adapt and evolve in contemporary society.

(This episode is conducted in English.)

00’48 The Parsi: a very small community in a very big city

13’25 The Parsi way of property management 

28’22 Parsi in Hong Kong

39’03 The change in Parsi death rituals in contemporary society

47’04 Leilah’s journey to anthropology