The Missionary Position
Christianity and Politics of Religious Conversion in India
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12539677 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Amalendu Misra (0000-0002-7029-0707, Lancaster University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 361-381 |
| Publication date | 2011-10-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Nationalism and Ethnic Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1353-7113 • E-ISSN: 1557-2986 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13537113.2011.622635 |
| OpenAlex | W2014716618 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
The purpose of this article is to critically examine the politics of religious conversion in India. Since Christianity is the main religion espousing and conducting conversion in ever-larger numbers in India, my focus, in the following pages, is to interrogate the debate surrounding this particular undertaking and the attendant conflict dynamics. This study is organized according to the following framework. First, it situates religious conversion in the context of radical Hindu nationalism. Second, it explores the issue of religious conversion in the theories of identity and globalization. Third, it probes the specifics of Christian conversion in India and investigates the issue within the framework of identity politics and secularism. Fourth, it examines the response and reaction of the radical Hindu nationalists towards religious conversion in general and Christian conversion in particular from the perspective of ethno-religious nationalism. Fifth and finally, it evaluates the dimensions of conflict between Christians and Hindus and how they are played out in the shared social arena. In conclusion, this article stresses that religious conversion in India is a form of a socioeconomic emancipatory undertaking. Those who feel stifled by the discriminatory caste order prevalent within Hinduism and live a marginal existence embrace this new identity. In the same breath it argues that Christianity in general, and Christian missionaries in particular, have courted criticism, opposition, and violence from radical Hindus, informed citizenry, and the institution of the state, as they are considered an “external other”—accused of undermining the complex sociopolitical order in the country
Christian Identity · Christianity · Hinduism · Nationalism · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Religious conversion · Religious identity · Secularism · Social science · Sociology · Indian History and Philosophy · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religious studies · Religious Studies
Handbook of Leaving Religion
Pentecostals, Proselytization, and Anti-Christian Violence in Contemporary India
Religious conversions in forced migration
Religion als religiös-ethnische Gemeinschaft. Das Beispiel der Parsi Zoroastrier in Indien
Gospel or governance? The political metaphor of Christian conversion in Nepal’s Chepang community
| Citations per year | 0.38 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2013 - 2026 (14) |
| Highly cited | No |