Dalit Christians in South India: Caste, Ideology and Lived Religion

This ethnographic study of Dalit Lutherans in South India explores how their lived religion challenges caste domination and generates new religious ideas, patterns, and practices. It highlights the transformative role of Dalit agency in the development of Christianity and provides a constructive critique of the dominant paradigm of the Dalit movement. The book discusses the pragmatic changes within Dalit Christianity's politics as viewed from the margins of Indian society and incorporates engagement with political ideologies and religious belief systems.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 140 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This ethnographic study delves into the lived religion of Dalit Christians in rural Andhra, India, exploring how it challenges the structures of caste domination. It reveals how the emergence of Dalit Christianity has generated innovative religious ideas, patterns, terrains, rituals, and practices that challenge the traditional notions of caste privilege and impact the region's politics. The study highlights the transformative role of Dalit agency in the development of Christianity, which has been largely overlooked in the studies of Christian missions and anthropology of Christianity in India. The book examines the social history of Christianity, critical events of protest, platforms of community politics, caste ideology, and local politics, while also exploring the interlocking of caste with congregations. It offers a constructive critique of the dominant paradigm of the Dalit movement, which often treats Dalits as a homogenous social group. The study discusses the pragmatic changes within the politics of Dalit Christianity as viewed from the margins of Indian society and incorporates engagement with political ideologies (from communism to the Ambedkarite movement) and religious belief systems (from Hinduism to Christianity).

This volume, situated at the intersection of religion and caste, holds significant importance for students and researchers in Dalit studies, political studies, sociology, sociology of religion, religious studies, social justice and exclusion studies, and South Asian studies. It provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics between religion, caste, and social change, shedding light on the ways in which Dalit Christians navigate and resist oppressive systems.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367630072