Abstract
This article examines Indra Sinha’s novel Animal’s People for insight into the intersection of theological anthropology and ecological theology. Set in the wake of a man-made ecological crisis, Sinha’s novel probes the definition of humanity, the interconnectedness between humans and the environment, and the toxic effects of the neoliberal order for humans and their environment. Drawing on Joerg Rieger and Kwok Pui-lan’s notion of an ecclesiology of solidarity, with insight from Rob Nixon’s work on ecological violence in the neoliberal order, this article considers the rich theological resources residing in Sinha’s work. Through a close reading of the text, the article highlights Sinha’s novel as a reflective resource both for eco-theology and for theological anthropology. It demonstrates that Sinha’s expansive vision of humanity effectively challenges the colonial hierarchy of humanity and the global system of borders which reinforces it. The witness of Animal’s People suggests that theological anthropology and eco-theology are inseparably interrelated and that responsible praxis in both spheres is necessary for developing global human and ecological solidarity.
Highlights
Producing Solidarities: TheologicalThis paper analyzes the intertwined theological anthropology and ecological theology embedded in Indra Sinha’s novel, Animal’s People (Sinha 2007)
Instead of assuming that God’s material creation is expendable, a mere resource to be exploited until it is depleted, progressive Christian eco-theology affirms that humans are responsible for preserving, caring for, and cultivating the land (Keller 1994; Tanner 1994; McFague 1994; DeVries 1994)
Various forces conspire to thwart responsible ecological stewardship and the related efforts to forge bonds of human solidarity across the global network of borders (Miller 2019). These borders operate in favor of powerful people and corporations who benefit from ecological destruction by isolating the various human partners who could work together to resist their depredations
Summary
This paper analyzes the intertwined theological anthropology and ecological theology embedded in Indra Sinha’s novel, Animal’s People (Sinha 2007). In addition to articulating theories of responsible human stewardship and the imperative of creation care, responsible eco-theology can work to develop a robust theological anthropology that addresses attempts by the powerful to isolate and divide through dehumanizing propaganda and the geographic externalization of ecological suffering. This article argues that success in this goal can be aided through forging theological connections between Sinha’s readers and his characters , which are strong enough to sustain a sense of transnational and transcultural (and even multifaith) ecclesial solidarity It proposes that Sinha’s expansive vision of humanity effectively challenges the colonial hierarchy of humanity and the global system of borders (Miller 2019) which reinforces it. Though he does not self-identify as a Christian, and his characters are Hindu and Muslim, his work offers rich theological insight for Christian theology, in the interconnected areas of theological anthropology and eco-theology
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