Christian Identity and Dalit Religion

Bauman, Chad M.:
Christian identity and Dalit religion in Hindu India, 1868-1947 / Chad M. Bauman. - Grand Rapids, Mich. : William B. Eerdmans, 2008. - xiv, 276 S. - (Studies in the history of Christian missions)
ISBN 0-8028-6276-4 / 978-0-8028-6276-1
US$ 40,00

Beschreibung
When a form of Christianity from one corner of the world encounters the religion and culture of another, new and distinctive forms of the faith result. In this volume Chad Bauman considers one such cultural context — colonial Chhattisgarh in north central India.
   In his study Bauman focuses on the interaction of three groups: Hindus from the low-caste Satnami community, Satnami converts to Christianity, and the American missionaries who worked with them. Informed by archival snooping and ethnographic fieldwork, the book reveals the emergence of a unique Satnami-Christian identity. As Bauman shows, preexisting structures of thought, belief, behavior, and more altered this emerging identity in significant ways, thereby creating a distinct regional Christianity. [Verlagsinformation]

Inhalt
Acknowledgments. viii
A note on language. xii
Abbreviations. xiv
Map. xv
Introduction. 1
   - The context : Chhattisgarh, the Satnamis, and Satnami-Christians. 8
   - Plan of the book. 15
   - Methodological notes. 20
   - Broader issues. 28
1. Contextualizing the study. 31
   - Chhattisgarhi social structure. 31
   - Chhattisgarhi religiosity. 34
   - The Satnampanth. 41
   - Satnamis and sanskritization in the twentieth century. 53
   - The origins of Christianity in Chhattisgarh. 59
2. Factors in becoming (or not becoming) Christian. 71
   - Famine, misfortune, and the economics of conversion. 76
   - Health, healing, and leaving one's religion. 88
   - Christianization and social status. 89
   - Religion as social vision. 94
   - On not becoming Christian. 98
3. The myth of history and the history of myth. 101
   - Tattoos and other embarrassing reminders of a Satnami past . 105
   - Inventive converts, mythologizing missionaries, and the story of Guru Ghasidas. 106
   - "A voice calling in the wilderness". 114
   - Inventing tradition: M.M. Paul's Satyanāmī panth. 117
   - Conclusion. 124
4. Allopathic medicine and the allure of efficacy. 133
   - Medicine, health, and hygiene. 136
   - Medical itineration and the allure of efficacy. 144
   - Christian medicine as "strong magic". 152
   - Interpreting the signs. 158
5. "Christian" womanhood. 167
   - Satnami-Christian conjugality: weddings, widows, and divorce. 173
   - Women's education and professionalization. 180
   - Christianization as sanskritization? 187
   - Conclusion. 188
6. Satnami and Christian stories: "human recapitulations of a social transformation." 191
   - "Doctor" Hira Lal. 192
   - Ṣimon Draṣṭahīn (Simon the Sightless). 200
   - Tularam Paul. 212
   - Ratiram. 218
   - Beni Madhav. 221
   - Conclusion. 224
Conclusion. 227
Chhattisgarhi Christianity in the post-independence era. 231
The Christian missionary activities enquiry. 232
The destruction of Gass Memorial Centre. 237
Conclusion. 240
Appendix: Charts and statistics. 245
Glossary. 251
Works Cited. 255
Index. 270

Autor
CHAD M. BAUMAN is assistant professor of religion at Butler University, Indianapolis, where he teaches courses on Asian religions. Profile page.

Quellen: Eerdmans; Google Books; Amazon; WorldCat.