I'm currently in a Comparative Religion course. My teacher was unable to answer this question and suggested I try and find the answer.

Do Hindus believe they will be reincarnated ONLY as Hindus or could one come back as Joe Schmoe of Anytown USA. If reincarnated as a non-Hindu that does not know of or believe in Hinduism, wouldn't that make escaping Samsara difficult? In other words, if a person is reincarnated with no knowledge of Dharma or the paths to escape Samsara, wouldn't that retard any progress the soul has made, or does the way in which the non-knower live their life simply affect the next life cycle?

Thank you!

Hi Friggasgirl,
I honestly don't know from a Hindu perspective, though I would imagine that it would not differ all that great from that off Buddhist beliefs. Buddhists do believe that one can be reborn anywhere on the planet, even in a locale that has never heard the Dharma. It is believed that through the merit we have accrued in former lives that we are fortunate enough to be born both in a time and place where the Dharma is prevalent and freely available. The same is held true for the enlightened teachers we hopefully encounter. Though beyond being born into a primarily or fully non-Buddhist society, it is wholly possible for one to also be born into a lower realm, that of the hell beings, pretas (hungry ghosts) or animals, in which one neither has the adequate comfort nor possibly faculties to pursue such studies; or possibly the realms of the asuras (demi-gods) or gods (wherein one does not have an adequate balance of discomfort to motivate one to such studies). Though the gods may have a life of total bliss and leisure, even they are plagued by the fact that one day this existence will come to an end. Thus a human birth is seen as the supreme opportunity on the path, and a truly rare occurrence.
Though unfamiliarity with Dharma might make actual enlightenment exponentially more difficult, no life of faith and goodwill, no matter the religious or philosophical underpinnings, is ever seen as wasted or a step backward on the path, as karma is really little more than the simple law of cause and effect. Wise spiritual laws are fairly universal, and compassion is relatively common to them all. As long as one is accruing merit, one has naught but to better oneself in the next incarnation. Karma is in no way seen as dependent upon a belief a in it. It is considered a fundamental fact of relative (conditioned) existence or reality.
A primary distinction to note between Buddhism and Hinduism is the difference between the doctrines of rebirth and reincarnation. Hindus believe in an "atman" or soul, an unchanging core of self which carries over from body to body, in a sense always migrating toward a greater state of perfection. Buddhists believe an differentiated and unchanging self, essentially the ego, to be nothing more than a grave misperception of reality; a deeply ingrained delusion and the direct cause of all our worldy suffering, as we are therefore ever after seek to either possess or drive away that which is seen as outside of "us" -- longing for completion, or seeking to avoid that which would bring us harm and/or possible annihilation. From a Buddhist perspective we are already seen as perfected, it is only our ignorance of our true nature and that of all reality that keeps us searching upon the path, rather than relaxing into the expanse of empty luminosity at the core of all things.
Therefore, I suppose it possible that Hindus may believe, as some cultures do, that one can perhaps recollect small aspects or former lives, given the soul's ultimate continuity -- though for Buddhists this is seen as largely improbable, as our current lives are to a great degree impelled and directed solely by the residual karmic traces carried over, and the way in which they interact with situations encountered in the present moment to ripen and manifest. For Buddhists, it is our karma that drives us to inerrably choose the state of our next incarnation. The best understanding of this process can be obtained from The Tibetan Book of the Dead, as well as it's applicability to our everyday mental states.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help from the Hindu perspective. Do enjoy the course. Take care. Namaste. :)