Eventisation of religion: the 12th World Zoroastrian Congress in New York City as an identity-oriented event

Abstract

ABSTRACT Interested in the modern transformation of religious events, I discussed the 12th World Zoroastrian Congress, held in New York City in 2022, as a social construct. The Congress is the most important Zoroastrian community festival, held every four or five years since 1960 and perceived as a platform to strengthen the sense of belonging and interact with co-religionists from all over the world. Based on a qualitative methodology, I analysed it as a transnational gathering that oriented attendees to a specific vision of the cultural program and Zoroastrian collective identity – multifaceted, constantly negotiated and transformed, referring to universalistic values, emphasising equality and inclusivity, and challenging essentialised identities that were popular among previous generations. I demonstrated how the event promoted the identity characteristics of modern religious diasporic communities and was open to marginalised or excluded groups such as women or people born outside traditional Zoroastrian families.