Freek L. Bakker Boeken

Studie- en oefenboek voor anderstaligen die werk zoeken op hbo-niveau en Nederlands willen lezen.

In the Netherlands the nature of Hinduism is different in character to that assumed in other Western countries, particularly Western Europe. In the United States and in Canada it is dominated by Hindus coming mostly directly from India, although there are also many native-born Hindus feeling themselves at home in this tradition. In the United Kingdom the Hindus coming from India predominate as well, although there are also many others coming from other former British colonies. The Hindus in Germany, Switzerland and Norway are mainly Tamils coming from Sri Lanka, where they fled from the civil war of the 1980s and 1990s. The Netherlands is the only Western country where the Hindustani Hindus originated from Suriname in the Caribbean predominate. This gives Dutch Hinduism a special flavor despite the presence of other much smaller groups, such as those of the Tamil Hindus, also from Sri Lanka, and of the autochthonous Hindus. The predominance of the Hindustani Hindus with their Caribbean background makes the situation in Holland of special interest. Nonetheless this study will also pay attention to the other two groups and to the interaction between these three strands of Hinduism.

How can we screen trauma? This question might lead the perception of documentary movies about atrocities in the 20th and 21st centuries, like S21 The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (Rithy Panh, CAMB/FR 2003) about Cambodia, The Look of Silence (Joshua Oppenheimer, ID/DK 2014) about Indonesia or Das radikal Böse about Nazi-Europe. The first concern emerge as we watch movies on atrocities is whether these artistic representations perhaps guide the public away from what “really happened”. There certainly is a huge gap between, on the one hand, the immediate experience of the event that lies behind the interpretative screening and, on the other hand, watching the director’s material while neither part nor ever having been part of the event.

Many films feature moments of silence, often lasting just a few seconds. Historically, 'silent films' were not truly silent; they typically included music or spoken dialogue. Modern examples, like Into Great Silence, showcase a different kind of silence, where the sounds of a monastery create a profound stillness, despite the absence of spoken words. A sound director notes that film is never completely silent, prompting an exploration of what silence truly means in this medium. Is it solely about sound, or does it also encompass imagery? Religious texts, such as 1 Kings 19:11-12, imply that silence can be a divine presence, as exemplified by Elijah’s experience of a hovering silence. Contributors to this volume discuss various interpretations of silence, including repressive, transforming, ominous, transcending, and mystic forms. The work examines silence in film, both as a phenomenon and in a figurative sense, while also addressing visual silence—the stillness evoked by images. This volume aligns with a growing trend in film and religion studies, emphasizing the importance of sound alongside visual elements in understanding silence.