Being Amma in America: : A Study of the Relationship Between Motherhood and Religion in Hindu Communities of the United States

In this study I explore how the beliefs and practices of Hindu American women are changed after they have children. In Hinduism, a woman\u27s dharma, or duty, dictates that her role is to care for her husband and children. I ask how this plays into the changes in women\u27s religious lives once they become mothers. I examine whether or not vrats, or fasting and prayers, become a larger part of Hindu women\u27s religious practice. I ask 4 major questions: 1) How does the cosmological view of women affect their children? 2) How do traditionally Hindu understandings of motherhood dictate the ways that women enculturate their children? 3) How is mothering changed for Hindu immigrant women because they are raising their children in America? 4) How do Hindu women find freedom and agency in their role as immigrant mothers? The study is a qualitative analysis conducted via interviews with seven Hindu mothers between the ages of 40 and 72, all residents of Ohio