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Race, Caste, and Christianity
Author(s) -
Jeremiah Anderson H.M.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international review of mission
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.118
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1758-6631
pISSN - 0020-8582
DOI - 10.1111/irom.12311
Subject(s) - colonialism , caste , context (archaeology) , christianity , race (biology) , prejudice (legal term) , gender studies , argument (complex analysis) , sociology , political science , history , law , archaeology , biochemistry , chemistry
Race and caste are two important historical and social categories that had a significant role during the European colonial period and in the colonies. Christian missionary activities during the colonial period often colluded with the colonial institutions in perpetuating certain accepted worldviews that benefited the colonial authorities. The central argument of this paper is to highlight the impact of a racialized worldview that was prevalent among European colonial powers, its transmission to the colonial context, and its continuing social legacy within Christianity. This paper, through a post‐colonial analysis of British mission history and its work in a South Asian context, raises some pertinent questions regarding the tacit role of race and caste in the Christianizing mission. It also argues the need for careful post‐colonial analysis of mission practices to challenge reactivation of entrenched structures of discrimination and prejudice.