What is the distinctive Zoroastrian experience, and what is the common diasporic experience? The Zoroastrian Diaspora is the outcome of twenty years of research and of archival and fieldwork in eleven countries, involving approximately 250,000 miles of travel. It has also involved a survey questionnaire in eight countries, yielding over 1,840 responses.

This is the first book to attempt a global comparison of Diaspora groups in six continents. Little has been written about Zoroastrian communities as far apart as China, East Africa, Europe, America, and Australia or on Parsis in Mumbai post-Independence. Each chapter is based on unused original sources ranging from nineteenth century archives to contemporary newsletters. The book also includes studies of Zoroastrians on the Internet, audio-visual resources, and the modern development of Parsi
novels in English.

As well as studying the Zoroastrians for their own inherent importance, this book contextualizes the Zoroastrian migrations within contemporary debates on Diaspora studies. John R. Hinnells examines what it is like to be a religious Asian in Los Angeles or London, Sydney or Hong Kong. Moreover, he explores not only how experience differs from one country to another, but also the differences between cities in the same country, for example, Chicago and Houston. The survey data is used firstly to
consider the distinguishing demographic features of the Zoroastrian communities in various countries; and secondly to analyse different patterns of assimilation between different groups: men and women and according to the level and type of education. Comparisons are also drawn between people from
rural and urban backgrounds; and between generations in religious beliefs and practices, including the preservation of secular culture.

1. Contents
2. List of Maps
3. Abbreviations
4. 1. Introduction: Key Issues for This Book
5. The Zoroastrian Perspective
6. A Question of Scale
7. The Theoretical Perspective
8. Conclusion
9. 2. Parsis in Post-Independence Bombay
10. Introduction
11. Independent India
12. Post-Independence Bombay
13. Parsis after Partition
14. Parsis in Independent India
15. Parsis in Bombay/Mumbai Post-Independence
16. Parsi Institutions
17. Bombay Parsi Society
18. Religious Movements, and Movements of Religious Thought
19. Conclusion
20. 3. The Global Zoroastrian Diaspora
21. Introduction: The Survey
22. Some Demographic Patterns
23. Conclusion
24. 4. The Parsis in Hong Kong and the China Seas
25. The British in China
26. Parsis in China
27. Parsis in Hong Kong
28. The Anjuman’s Perceptions of Itself, of Others, and of the Future
29. 5. The Parsis of Karachi
30. Introduction
31. The British in Sind
32. The Establishment of Pakistan
33. Parsis in Karachi
34. Parsis in Pakistan
35. Karachi Parsi Religious and Secular Literature
36. Conclusion
37. 6. Zoroastrians in East Africa
38. The Context: East African Asians
39. Parsis in Zanzibar: The Emerald Isle
40. Parsis in Kenya
41. Conclusion
42. Forgotten Parsis
43. 7. The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe
44. The Context
45. A Demographic Profile of British Zoroastrians in the 1980s
46. The Early Settlement
47. British Zoroastrian Institutions
48. An International Centre
49. After the Second World War
50. Zoroastrians in British Politics
51. Religion among British Zoroastrians
52. British Zoroastrians at the Turn of the Millennium
53. Zoroastrians in Paris
54. Zoroastrians in Germany
55. European Links with ZTFE
56. Conclusion
57. 8. Zoroastrians in the United States and Canada
58. Introduction
59. Zoroastrian Settlement on the North American Continent
60. Religious Issues among American Zoroastrians in the Settlement Years
61. The Specifically North American Dimension to Zoroastrian Communities
62. The 1990s: A Period of Consolidation and Growth
63. Conclusion
64. 9. Zoroastrians in Australia
65. The Context: Asian Migration to Australia
66. Australian Zoroastrians in the 1980s
67. Zoroastrians in Sydney
68. Zoroastrians in Melbourne
69. Conclusion
70. 10. Globalizing Trends
71. Introduction
72. The World Zoroastrian Organization
73. Global Networks: Zoroastrians on the Internet
74. The Seventh World Zoroastrian Congress, Houston, 2000
75. The Global Survey
76. Conclusion
77. 11. Conclusion
78. The Zoroastrian Diasporas
79. Factors Affecting Zoroastrian Diasporas
80. Distinctive Zoroastrian Diasporic Features
81. Zoroastrians as a Typical Diaspora
82. Zoroastrianism and a Typology of Diasporas
83. Common Features of Maturation
84. End Word
85. Appendix 1: Speech of Sir Shapoorji Bomanji Billimoria, President of the BPP, at a Public Fashan to
86. Appendix 2: Survey Data
87. Appendix 3: Survey Questionnaire on Contemporary Zoroastrianism around the World
88. Selected Bibliography on Zoroastrianism
89. Glossary
90. A
91. B
92. C
93. D
94. E
95. F
96. G
97. H
98. I
99. J
100. K
101. L
102. M
103. N
104. O
105. P
106. Q
107. R
108. S
109. T
110. U
111. V
112. Y
113. Z
114. Name Index
115. A
116. B
117. C
118. D
119. E
120. F
121. G
122. H
123. I
124. J
125. K
126. L
127. M
128. N
129. O
130. P
131. R
132. S
133. T
134. U
135. V
136. W
137. Y
138. Z
139. Subject Index
140. A
141. B
142. C
143. D
144. E
145. F
146. G
147. H
148. I
149. J
150. K
151. L
152. M
153. N
154. O
155. P
156. Q
157. R
158. S
159. T
160. U
161. V
162. W
163. Y
164. Z