Dalit christians and identity politics in India

Abstract

Since the 1970s increasing numbers of those who used to be known as “untouchables” or “harijans” have rejected these terms in favor of the name “dalit.” Besides adopting a new name dalits are also asserting an alternative form of identity. The majority of the 20 million-strong Indian Christian community shares this social background. Since the middle of the 1980s many Christians have begun to assert their dalit identity. One consequence of this has been an increasing level of activism among the Indian Christian churches. The churches have been mounting an energetic campaign to have the Dalit Christians included on the Scheduled Caste list. This list determines access to the central government affirmative action schemes. This has occurred at a time when identity has become an important basis for political mobilization in India and conventional models of progressive politics based on class alliances have been called into question. However, using the specific case of the Dalit Christians, this article argues that certain forms of identity politics can assist the development of progressive politics in India.