Resource Cultures of Rice and Wheat in South and Central Asia. Religious and (agro-)economic dimensions of cereals

This project is part of the Collaborative Research Center (CRC 1070) under the designation of Sub-project C04. It aims to understand and compare the dynamics of religious resources in South and Central Asia. Based on the resource concepts and analytical tools of the CRC 1070, an empirical as well as theoretical contribution will be made to the topic of ‘religious economy’. This means that the usual separation of the spheres of economy and religion is questioned and the manifold overlaps of economic as well as religious dimensions of resources are shown.

The project focuses on rice cultivation in western Odisha, a region where the goddess Lakshmi is identified with rice and where various groups and NGOs draw on religious practices and beliefs in an attempt to counter the damage of the Green Revolution.
The second case study examines practices related to rice in an “ecological hotspot”, the tribal highlands of Odisha. Rice is also considered by these highlanders (Adivasis) to be the embodiment of the goddess Lakshmi, and many different local rice varieties are still found in their fields today. In recent years, these have also become the subject of NGO activities based on the religious practices of the highlanders.
The third case study focuses on changes in the managment of wheat in Kazakhstan. Wheat (products) occupy a central role in rituals. The case study explores how the meaning of wheat and its spiritual patron, Baba Deyqan, has changed as a result of industrial agriculture and Soviet ‘new land’ campaigns. At the same time, it asks whether and to what extent the reconsideration of one’s religious heritage draws on wheat as a resource and makes it useful for sustainability efforts.