Sunday, July 17, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Dalit theology in the twenty-first century: discordant voices, discerning pathways Edited by Sathianathan Clarke and others, Oxford,

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110715/jsp/opinion/story_14235714.jsp

IN BRIEF
CHANGE FROM BELOW

Dalit theology in the twenty-first century: discordant voices,
discerning pathways Edited by Sathianathan Clarke and others, Oxford,
Rs 745

This book is a collection of essays on various aspects of Dalit
theology, especially among Christian Dalits. The uninitiated reader
will immediately stumble on the phrase, 'Christian Dalits'. The term,
Dalit, has grown out of a protest movement directed at the domination
of upper caste Hinduism. Many of those belonging to the lower castes,
Dalits, decided to convert to other religions that do not recognize
caste. Christianity is one such religion. Thus the question: having
converted to Christianity, can a person be marked by a caste status?
The editors write very self-consciously in the introduction,
"Conscious of the fact that the Indian Christian community is
predominantly Dalit and thus, historically, geographically, socially,
economically, and culturally entwined with the lived reality of Dalits
from other religious communities, this volume collects and promotes a
Dalit-based, Dalit-focused, and Dalit-committed set of world visions
that represent some features of 21st century theological optics and
options.'' This volume straddles two different identities — a caste
identity as the emphasis on Dalits in the quotation above makes
evident; and a religious identity based on a religion that explicitly
denies caste. This is indicative of a major churning within Indian
society, a process that is completely refashioning it. This volume
reflects that transformation and the ways in which a faith is trying
to come to terms with it. This is not an easy book to read. But it is
an enriching one.


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