This ethnographic study of Dalit Lutherans in South India examines how the lived religion of Dalit Christians contests the structures of caste domination in rural Andhra. It shows how the emergence of Dalit Christianity generated new religious ideas, patterns, terrains, rituals, and practices that challenge the traditional notions of caste privilege and impact the politics of the region. It highlights the transforming role of Dalit agency in the development of Christianity, which is largely unexplored in the studies of Christian missions and anthropology of Christianity in India. The book looks at the social history of Christianity, critical events of protest, platforms of community politics, caste ideology, and local politics and interlocking of caste with congregation to provide a constructive critique of the dominant paradigm of the Dalit movement, which often treats Dalits as a homogenous social group. It discusses the pragmatic changes within the politics of Dalit Christianity as viewed from the margins of Indian society and incorporated through engagement with political ideologies (from communism to the Ambedkarite movement) and religious belief systems (from Hinduism to Christianity). This volume at the intersection of religion and caste will be an essential read for students and researchers of Dalit studies, political studies, sociology, sociology of religion, religious studies, social justice and exclusion studies, and South Asian studies.

This ethnographic study of Dalit Lutherans in South India examines how the lived religion of Dalit Christians contests the structures of caste domination in rural Andhra. It shows how the emergence of Dalit Christianity generated new religious ideas, patterns, terrains, rituals, and practices that challenge the traditional notions of caste privilege and impact the politics of the region. It highlights the transforming role of Dalit agency in the development of Christianity, which is largely unexplored in the studies of Christian missions and anthropology of Christianity in India. The book looks at the social history of Christianity, critical events of protest, platforms of community politics, caste ideology, and local politics and interlocking of caste with congregation to provide a constructive critique of the dominant paradigm of the Dalit movement, which often treats Dalits as a homogenous social group. It discusses the pragmatic changes within the politics of Dalit Christianity as viewed from the margins of Indian society and incorporated through engagement with political ideologies (from communism to the Ambedkarite movement) and religious belief systems (from Hinduism to Christianity). This volume at the intersection of religion and caste will be an essential read for students and researchers of Dalit studies, political studies, sociology, sociology of religion, religious studies, social justice and exclusion studies, and South Asian studies.

Study of Christians belonging to economically backward and socially underprivileged classes in India.

Study of Christians belonging to economically backward and socially underprivileged classes in 44 villages located in Bellary District, Karnataka, and Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh.

Demonstrates the inadequacy of the category 'religion' by focusing on the Paraiyars of South India, exploring the complexity of religious belief in marginalized indigenous communities.

Christians of India is an important study on Christian communities in India. Robinson feels that this area, like the study of all non-Hindu communities, has suffered from enormous neglect. She traces the roots of this to the time when the disciplines of Sociology and Anthropology first came came to India.

This Book Deals With The Dalits And The Christian Missionaries From Various Denominations Who Worked In Different Areas Of Andhra. Among The Christians In Andhra Pradesh, According To One Estimate, 98% Belong To The Dalit Communities. The Status Of Dalits In India Has Been Documented In Many Well-Known Anthropological Works Highlighting The Lowliest Of Lowly Status In Indian Society With The Unique Associated Dimension Of The Practice Of Untouchability. The Introductory Chapter Deals With The Traditional Characteristic Features Of The Caste System And The Position Of Dalits Within It. Much Of The Data Related To Dalits Was Taken From My Doctoral Thesis Submitted To Andhra University In The Late Seventies. The Ethnographic Details Of The Two Dominant Dalit Castes Of Andhra, The Mala And The Madiga, And Their Origins According To Different Legends Have Been Described In The Following Chapters Together With The Influence Of Christianity On Them Tracing The History Of Different Christian Missionaries From Various Denominations Who Worked In This Area. The Failures Of The Christian Missionaries With The High Castes And The Reasons There Of Are Vividly Described. The Efforts Of The Lutheran Missionaries Ever Since The Arrival Of Fr. Heyer Has Been Elaborately Dealt With And The Long List Of Missionaries Arrived From Foreign Lands Has Been Given In The Appendix. Towards The End An Attempt Is Made To Trace The Evolution Of A Dalit Theology, Which Is Distinctly A Part Of The Asian Contextual Theology. This Book Would Be Of Interest To Anthropologists, Sociologists And Other Social Scientists Who Are Interested Particularly In The Study Of Dalit Matters And The Proselatization Activities Of Christian Missionaries. The Impact Of Christianity On The Lives Of The Dalits Could Be Gauged Through The Pages Of This Book.