Democratization of Indian Christianity: Hegemony, Accessibility, and Resistance

Cover
Half Title
Endorsement Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
List of Contributors
	Volume Editors
Foreword
	References
Introduction: Indian Christianity, Categorical Inequalities, and the Need for Democratization
	Introduction
		Where Does Religion Meet Democracy?
		The Idea of Democratization: Theory and Debates
		Religion, State, and Democratization
		Indian Christianities and Categorical Inequalities
	Indian Christianity’s Engagement with Gender and Caste Inequalities
		Caste Inequalities, Subaltern Social Movements, and Indian Christianity
	Knowledge Inequalities, Christianity, and Democratization of Education in India
	Economic and Social Inequalities and Indian Christian Engagement
	Human Rights and Indian Christian Engagement
		Chapterization
	Notes
	References
		E Sources
Section I: Indian Christianity, Democratization, and Modernity – Past to Future
	Chapter 1: Indian Catholicism and Democratization
		Convergence of Two Legacies
		The Ideological Component
		Drawing from Scriptures and Tradition
		Democratization and Credibility
		Inherent Difficulties
		Contradictions
		Checks and Balances
		Power, Money, and the Lot of Democracy
		Dalits – Partners in the Making of the Church
		Dalits and the Issue of Inclusion and Representation
		Democratization as a Mission
		Catholic Suspicion of Indian Democracy
		Catholicism and Democratic Challenges of Today
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 2: Modernity, Democracy, and Christianity in India
		Indian Modernity and Its Dialectics
		Liberal Democracy and Beyond
		Participatory Democracy and Public Spheres
		Christianity and the Indian Discursive Public Sphere
		Indian Democracy and Christian Public Theology
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 3: Democratization of Indian Christianity: Reclaiming Church in the Context of Empire
		Introduction
		Church and Empire: Deconstructing the History of an Illegitimate Alliance
		Church as Coming Community: Giorgio Agamben
		Church as New Humanity: MM Thomas
		Making Church a Democratic Community in India Today
		Conclusion
		Note
		References
Section II: Gender and Democratization – Forms of Resistance against Hegemony
	Chapter 4: The Feminization of Telugu Christianity: An Instance of Democratization of Indian Christianity
		Introduction
		Women in Local Cultures
		Telugu Women and Western Missionaries
			Bible Women: With Bible in Hand
		Health Workers: Agents of Healing
		Schoolteachers: Empowering Literacy
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 5: Shifting Power Equations for Women in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal
		Introduction
		History of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Goa
		Demography of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Goa: Gendered Perspectives
		CCR: Redefining Power Equations and Opening up Spaces of Liberation for Women
			Case 1. Ms. Alzira Antao, the Mother of the Konkani Charismatic Renewal in Goa
			Case 2. Ms. Flory Rodrigues: From Housewife to Leader of a Charismatic Prayer Group
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 6: Can Catholic Religious Women Democratize the Indian Church?
		Catholic Women Religious in India – A Short Profile
		Challenges before the Catholic Religious Women in India
		Christian Social Democracy
		Promoting Education and Empowerment
		Advocating Social Justice and Human Rights
		Democratizing Theology
		Internal Critique and Prophetic Voice in the Church and Society
		The Ethos of Effectiveness
		Conclusion
		Acknowledgments
		Notes
		Bibliography
Section III: Democratization and the Marginalized – Politics of Accessibility and Hegemony
	Chapter 7: The Christian Churches, Democratic Developments, and People at the Margins: Case Studies from Rajasthan and Odisha
		A Note on Methodology and Rationale for Comparison
		Part I: State Failure and Marginalization of the Bhil in Rajasthan
		Growth of Pentecostalism among the Bhils
		The CCFM and Democratic Development
			Decentralizing Leadership
			Rationalizing/Modernizing Religion
			Empowering Bhil Women: Equality and Dignity
			Promoting Partnership in Community Development
		Part II: Christianity in Odisha – The Kondha–Pano Dynamics
		Christianity, Panos, and Development
		Christianity and Social Transformation in Kandhamal, Odisha
		Jan Vikas and Strategies for Inclusive and Holistic Development
			Governance and Rights
			Empowerment of Women
		Christian Organizations and Minority Rights
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 8: Divided Church as a Democratizing Space: Contending Hegemonic Practices in a Village in Northeast India
		Introduction
		A Northeast India Village Context
		People, Place, and Field Setting
		Clan, Land Ownership, and Church Affiliations
		Churches in Nagaland – From Darkness to Light
		Land Ownership as a Source of the Church Fragmentation?
		The Divided Church and Lived Christianity
		“Tzuktem” as a Customary Practice of Usury
		How Divided Church Become a Democratizing Space?
		Concluding Remarks: United Church Democratizing the Village
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 9: Divided Churchyards as Contested Democratic Space in Tamil Christianity: A Sociology of Caste Geography and Social Stigma in Southern India
		Introduction
		Sociology of Caste Stigma and Geography in India
			Field-Setting and Empirical Context
		Production of Social Stigma in Religious Domains
		Walls of Discrimination and Divided Churchyards in Tamil Nadu
		All Souls’ Day, Death Rituals, and Caste Rules
		Transformational Politics and Political Rationalities
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
Section IV: Everyday Life, Democratization, and Indian Christianity – Unfolding Prospects and Challenges
	Chapter 10: Prayer as an Instrument of Resistance: Contextualizing Prayer and Everyday Life of Dalit Christians in Kerala
		Introduction
		Everyday life and Prayers
		Slave Caste’s Everyday Life
		Dalit Religion
		Dalit Christianity
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 11: Via Food Ways: Challenging Ideas of Christian Equality and Democratization
		Introduction
			The Latin Catholics
			Latin Catholics – Diet and Serving, Impurity, and Hierarchy
			Meat Eating and Latin Catholics
			Serving Practices and Hospitality
			The Latin Catholics and the Value of Hierarchy
		Politics and Religion, Christianity, and Democratization
			Equality, Hierarchy, Christianity, and Democracy
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 12: Naming the Unspoken: Domestic Violence and the Church
		Introduction
		Methodology
		Defining Domestic Violence
		Why Domestic Violence
		Dowry Demand, Domestic Violence, and Indian Christians
		Kinship and Social Environment
		Children as Silent Sufferers
		Why Do These Christian Women Bear with the Abuse?
		Response of the Church
		The Role of the Church
		Notes
		References
Afterword: Christianity, Democratization, and Indian Culture
	Does Indian Christianity foster democratization, and if so, What Kind of Democratization?
	Can Religious Institutions Outpace their Own Routinization?
	Can Indian Christianity Alter Indian culture?
	Notes
	References
Index