Dalit Theology Research Articles

Uncomfortable and Devious Paths in Dalit Theology and Ideology

This paper explores the trajectory of Dalit Theology and Ideology, unraveling both uncomfortable facets and emerging trends within this academic and socio-political discourse. The examination is structured into two primary sections: areas of discomfort and the unfolding nuances in Dalit Theology.
 In the exploration of discomfort, three pivotal concerns are addressed. The “Danger of Essentialism” scrutinizes the construction of an abstract “pure Dalit” identity, exposing the pitfalls of this essentialist approach, including the lack of empirical evidence and the potential silencing of authentic voices within the Dalit community. The subsequent exploration, “Danger of Homogenization”, delves into the risks associated with reducing Dalit identity to a singular, homogenized category, emphasizing the need to acknowledge internal variations and alternative voices to avoid oversimplification. The “Danger of Methodological Exclusivism” critiques the exclusive focus on Dalit experience in theological spaces, underscoring the necessity for a broader engagement that addresses societal issues collectively rather than confining Dalit scholars to specific domains.
 In the section on emerging trends, a multi-faceted examination of identity unfolds. “Interrogating Identity” reveals a shift from victimhood narratives to a focus on Dalit consciousness and resistance. The acknowledgment of multiple identities, including sub-jatis and socio-cultural affiliations, challenges the singular homogenized identity construct. Additionally, the recognition of Dalits in urban spaces reflects a broader understanding of the diverse experiences within the community.
 The exploration of “Interrogating the Text” exposes the intricate relationship between Dalits and the Bible. Beyond traditional readings, emphasis is placed on community readings, imagination, and dialogical approaches, revealing a dynamic engagement with sacred texts. The analysis also extends beyond the Bible to include folk tales, songs, and experiences of revolt, broadening the hermeneutical landscape.
 The section “Interrogating Socio-Economic Realities from a Dalit Perspective” scrutinizes Dalit responses to globalization, challenging mainstream anti-globalization narratives and exploring alternative perspectives within the Dalit community. The discourse on reservations transcends the reservation debate to question meritocracy and the structural inequalities embedded in the education system. Finally, the examination of Dalits at the forefront of a new India critically evaluates the potential for reconceiving the nation from a Dalit perspective, challenging dominant and hierarchical values ingrained in the Indian narrative.
 In conclusion, the abstract emphasizes the urgency of reclaiming devious paths within Dalit Theology. The term “devious” is interpreted in two dimensions: first, as a winding, heuristic approach, encouraging an exploration of untrodden paths; second, as a potentially wicked, heretical tradition that challenges existing power structures. Despite the increasing recognition of Dalit Theology, the call is made to maintain its radical essence by embracing discomfort and unconventional routes, thereby revolutionizing society.

Dalit Theology, Boundary Crossings and Liberation in India: A Biblical and Post-colonial Study, written by Jobymon Skaria

Dalit Theology, Boundary Crossings and Liberation in India: A Biblical and Post-colonial Study, written by Jobymon Skaria

Dalit Theology and Indian Christian History in Dialogue: Constructive and Practical Possibilities

In this article, I consider how an integration of Dalit theology and Indian Christian history could help Dalit theologians in their efforts to connect more deeply with the lived realities of today’s Dalit Christians. Drawing from the foundational work of such scholars as James Massey and John C. B. Webster, I argue for and begin a deeper and more comprehensive Dalit reading and theological analysis of the history of Christianity and mission in India. My explorations—touching on India’s Thomas/Syrian, Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal traditions—reveal the persistence and complexity of caste oppression throughout Christian history in India, and they simultaneously draw attention to over-looked, empowering, and liberative resources that are bound to Dalit Christians lives, both past and present. More broadly, I suggest that historians and theologians in a variety of contexts—not just in India—can benefit from blurring the lines between their disciplines.

Religious Amnesias, Mythologies, and Apolitical Affects in Racist Landscapes

Given their explicit attention to contextual realities, liberation theologies have different expressions in various global contexts. One element they all have in common, however, is a sustained interest in the effects of historical processes. Dalit theology, a liberation theology arising from the struggles and hopes of Dalit communities in India, is in attunement with such critical analyses of the factors that shape power and domination. By drawing comparisons between the geography of a typical Indian village/town—in which bodies are segregated by caste belonging—and the increasing gentrification in towns and cities in the U.S.—in which bodies are segregated by the aftereffects of racialized geographies—the essay argues that domination today is better understood through affective encounters or the lack thereof.

“Now We Will Have the Dalit Perspective”

AbstractThis article seeks to resolve the present impasse within Dalit theology generated by an overreliance on and undertheorizing of the question of Dalit identity. It argues that the implicit location of Dalit theology as a theology of identity does a disservice to Dalit theology itself. Rather, what is needed is to nuance the question of Dalit identity and then flesh out what we mean when we speak of “the Dalit perspective.” Key to doing this is to reconceptualize Dalit identity as a fluid identity: that is, an identity that both destabilizes and allows for the assemblage of alliances among all afflicted.

After justification: Toward a Dalit public Lutheran theology

AbstractThe aim of this article is to construct a “Dalit public Lutheran theology” as an “after‐justification” conversation, which drafts an agenda for the future of Lutheran theology in the twenty‐first century. In moving toward that construction, I first briefly explain Dalit theology, public theology, and Lutheran theology and shall discuss the rationale for a Dalit public Lutheran theology. From there I propose that Lutheran theology needs to take a contextual, post‐colonial and subaltern turn. Then I discuss the contours of Dalit public Lutheran theology by discussing one of the pivotal doctrine of Luther, “justification by grace through faith,” by engaging in a Dalit public discourse and propose “hospitality by love” as what comes after justification. Finally, I bring out the relevance of such a theology for our present‐day context. The method I employ in this article is subaltern methodology, which is to “read from below” or “read against the grain.” “After justification” is understood as “beyond” the understanding of doctrine of justification, as a forward‐looking public theological understanding of justification, where it finds fecundity and validity.

The South Asian Presence in the Ecumenical Movement

AbstractThis article surveys the distinct role South Asian Christianity played in the modern ecumenical movement. It explores how the longevity, vitality, and diversity of Christianity in South Asia, coupled with the pluralistic ethos and inter‐religious context of the region, provided a conducive atmosphere for the ecumenical movement to take root in the early decades of the 20th century. The article argues that while there were outstanding ecumenical thinkers and path‐breaking church unity efforts in the region, what was most important was the emergence of new theological trends that reverberated across the ecumenical world, such as Dalit theology, tribal theology, and Urban and Rural Mission. While discussing these developments from a historical perspective, this article also tries to identify contemporary issues and challenges in these areas. Today, as the forces of religious nationalism, sectarianism, and fundamentalism are gaining ground in South Asia, the task before us is to realize anew the meaning of ecumenism.

Asian Ecumenical Contributions to Theologies of Justice and Peace

AbstractIssues of justice and peace have been at the centre of Asian ecumenical theology, which has developed within the context of the Asian reality of multi‐religiosity, on the one hand, and rampant poverty, on the other. This article examines how Asian ecumenical theological expressions, such as Dalit theology from India, Minjung theology from Korea, the many Asian womanist theologies, indigenous theologies, the theology of struggle from the Philippines, Burakumin theologies from Japan, and homeland theology from Taiwan, have sought to engage with these realities. It examines the impact of socio‐political movements on theological formation through a focus on the life and work of the Indian ecumenical leader M. M. Thomas, and offers a detailed examination of Dalit and Minjung theologies as expressions of the Asian ecumenical theological engagement with justice.

Jesus’s Two Great Commandments: Analysing Indian Theology through Caste and Gender

The article attempts to problematize Christian theology sociologically, navigating it through the minefield of the ‘Two Great Commandments’ given by Jesus, within the Indian context of caste and gender. ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God ’, the First Commandment which mandates the believers to love God becomes intriguing as it forces one to ask who is my God and how do I relate to the form of this God? The article looks at how Dalit theology experiences Jesus as opposed to upper-caste theology. The Second Commandment, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself ’, becomes more challenging than the First in an Indian context because it contradicts the practices of caste and gender discrimination. For Indian Christians the idea of ‘love thy neighbour’ then reworks back into the question of who is ‘allowed’ to be my neighbour. The article analyses Jesus through his historical existence rather than his divinity.

‘Wandering Arameans?’ Interrogating Identity in a Diasporic Society: Dalitness in Indian Hyphenated Americans

This article examines and problematizes the question of how Indian Christians coming from a Dalit background and now living in the United States negotiate the question of identity. It seeks to complicate further the identitarian narratives of the Asian American diasporic communities and reminds us of the possibility of ‘multifaceted identities’ of the diaspora, reflecting persistent social hierarchies such as caste consciousness. Taking its cue from a pioneering Dalit theologian’s appropriation of the ‘wandering Aramean’, the essay asks if Dalit theology can point the way forward towards forging new alliances in the new context, where new opportunities exist alongside memories of, and embodiment of, old hierarchical and stratified realities?

Dalit Theology: History, Context, Text, and Whole Salvation, written by James Massey

Dalit Theology: History, Context, Text, and Whole Salvation, written by James Massey

Dalit Theology and Economy of Life

The Ecumenical ReviewVolume 67, Issue 2 p. 187-191 Economy of Life Dalit Theology and Economy of Life Praveen P. S. Perumalla, Praveen P. S. PerumallaSearch for more papers by this author Praveen P. S. Perumalla, Praveen P. S. PerumallaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 27 July 2015 https://doi.org/10.1111/erev.12150Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume67, Issue2July 2015Pages 187-191 RelatedInformation

Tamil folk music as Dalit liberation theology

Preface List of PURL Audio and Video files Introduction: Singing The Lord's Prayer and Dalit Liberation in Tamil Nadu 1. Musical Style and Indigenization in Tamil Christian Music 2. Sharing the Meal: A Dalit Family's Dialogue with the History of Tamil Christian Music, 1850-1994 3. Parattai's Dalit Theology 4. Ethnography as Transformative Musical Dialogue 5. Reception and Transformation from the Seminary to the Village: 6. Performing Global Dalit Consciousness Appendixes Appendix 1: Music Transcriptions Appendix 2: Song Lyrics By J. Theophilus Appavoo (Parattai) Notes Bibliography Index

Book Review: <em>Dalit Theology in the Twenty-first Century: Discordant Voices, Discerning Pathways</em>

Book Review: <em>Dalit Theology in the Twenty-first Century: Discordant Voices, Discerning Pathways</em>

Two Theological Movements in India That Complicate Western Reformed Identities

Abstract: This essay examines how Indian Christian theology and Dalit theology, products of the contextualization of Christianity in India, complicate Western Reformed Christian identities. The former has introduced elements of Hinduism into Christian thought there. This raises questions about what is Christian and what Western in some Western Reformed theologies. This conversation is further complicated by Dalit theology, which critiques Indian Christian theologies for overlooking caste oppression. This paper invokes the reign of God and the preferential option for the poor as principles that can guide Western Reformed theologies in responding to the challenges raised by these two theological movements in India.

Two Theological Movements in India That Complicate Western Reformed Identities

Abstract: This essay examines how Indian Christian theology and Dalit theology, products of the contextualization of Christianity in India, complicate Western Reformed Christian identities. The former has introduced elements of Hinduism into Christian thought there. This raises questions about what is Christian and what Western in some Western Reformed theologies. This conversation is further complicated by Dalit theology, which critiques Indian Christian theologies for overlooking caste oppression. This paper invokes the reign of God and the preferential option for the poor as principles that can guide Western Reformed theologies in responding to the challenges raised by these two theological movements in India.

Fragmented Selves, Fragments of the New Story: Panikkar and Dalit Christology

Abstract The question regarding the interconnection between the writings of those considered to have focused on a ‘Brahmanical’ way of doing Indian-Christian theology and those who have taken seriously the reality of the marginalization of the vast majority of Indian-Christians who come from the Dalit background and contributed to the emergence of Dalit theology is an important one. In his voluminous writings, has Panikkar overlooked or ignored the pathos of Dalits and failed to acknowledge the contribution of Dalit experience to the theological enterprise? This article is an attempt to read both Panikkar and Dalit theologians and ask as to whether at least some recognition of convergence is at all possible.

Dalit Christians Struggle for Justice in the Indian Sub-continent

In the India-Subcontinent the women s liberation, ecological liberation; and with the specific influence of the black theology and the liberation theology, Dalit theology became a possibility in its particular socio-economic, political and religious context. Human tendencies seem to be universally common and oppression of the weak has been a ubiquitous dynamic showing different faces in different continents and countries. Dalit theology in India stands out with its undergirding principle of pathos, and hermeneutical principle of reading the scripture with the eyes of the poor and oppressed. Atrocities on the Dalits in Andhra Pradesh are invariably committed by the people belonging to the dominant Reddy caste. News papers carry news of incessant heinous crimes the Reddys commit against the Dalits. Our former Chief Minister late Dr. Y. S. Rajashekar Reddy, who belonged to the same caste, but Christian by faith has moved a motion in the State Assembly to consider the Dalit Christians for the Scheduled Caste reservations on par with the Dalits of other religious professions. The same has been sent to the Central government for further consideration. Dr. Reddy has also established what he called as Andhra Pradesh State Christian Minority Finance Corporation. It is in and through this Corporation Dalit Christians are aided in their education, vocational training and employment. The Corporation also takes up issues concerning Christians with the State and the Central government. It also helps in reviving the Christian hospitals, educational institutions, reconstruction of church buildings, purchase of burial grounds, taking Christians on a Holy Land tour on a subsidized tariff. This Corporation has become a ray of hope in the lives of the Dalit Christians of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Church Heads and Christians leaders and the respective state Christian Councils need to pressurize the Chief Ministers to establish such State Christian Minority Finance Corporations catering justice to the Dalits Christians in the Indian Sub- Continent. Mean while the struggle to consider the Dalit Christians for the Scheduled Caste reservations continues in the national scenario.

Book Review: Dalit Theology and Dalit Liberation: Problems, Paradigms, and Possibilities

Book Review: Dalit Theology and Dalit Liberation: Problems, Paradigms, and Possibilities

Peniel Rajkumar: Dalit Theology and Dalit Liberation. Problems, Paradigms and Possibilities

Peniel Rajkumar: Dalit Theology and Dalit Liberation. Problems, Paradigms and Possibilities