Residual Mobilities and Religious Practices: Exploring the Experiences of the Hindu Migrants in Canada

Informed by the previous HCI and CSCW scholarship on residual mobility -- a concept that transcends mere geographical relocation to encompass socio-cultural and communal disruptions -- this study probes the unique religious and spiritual challenges faced by the Hindu migrants from the Indian subcontinent in Canada. Through interviews with 20 participants, we investigate the role of technology in navigating a diverse religious landscape in professional environments, coping with changing religious materiality, and passing down traditions to the next generation. Our work identifies the community's proactive use of social media and videoconferencing for religious festivals and connection with their religious community. The findings raise several implications for CSCW research on supporting residual mobility experiences of the Hindu migrants, including effective organization of religious event information, virtual support for material aspects of religious rituals, and fostering online environments that enable pluralistic spiritual engagement.