Sacrafanations: Dalit Religion(s): Epistemology, Theology, and Politics

Cover of Sacrafanations: Dalit Religion(s): Epistemology, Theology, and Politics

Sacrafanations: Dalit Religion(s): Epistemology, Theology, and Politics (2023) is an edited volume by Rev. Dr. Y. T. Vinayaraj that brings together scholarly essays on Dalit religion(s), theology, epistemology, and politics. Published jointly by the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS) and the Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (ISPCK), the volume examines how Dalit communities construct religious knowledge, negotiate identity, and articulate struggles for justice and liberation in contemporary India.

The book is organised into two parts and opens with an extensive introduction that reflects on the scholarly legacy of Reverend A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel (1933–1996). The volume explores themes relating to Dalit religion(s), theology, caste, democracy, and political agency. The essays explore the relationship between religion, caste, democracy, and political agency while engaging with contemporary social and theological debates.

Contents

  1. Background
  2. Themes
  3. Chapters
    1. Front matter
    2. Preliminary chapter
    3. Part I: Dalits and Religion(s): Epistemology Matters
  4. Publication details
  5. External links

Background

Sacrafanations: Dalit Religion(s): Epistemology, Theology, and Politics was edited by Y. T. Vinayaraj and published in 2023 as a joint publication of the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), Bengaluru, and the Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (ISPCK), New Delhi. The volume brings together contributions from scholars working in the fields of Dalit studies, theology, religious studies, and the social sciences to examine questions surrounding Dalit religion(s), epistemology, theology, and political engagement.

The book is dedicated In Memoriam to Rev. Dr. Abraham Ayrookuzhiel (1933–1996), acknowledging his enduring contribution to the study of religion in the context of Dalit struggles. It opens with an introduction by Y. T. Vinayaraj, followed by a chapter by Godwin Shiri that examines Ayrookuzhiel’s search for a new approach to the study of religion in the context of Dalit liberation.

Themes

The essays in the volume explore Dalit religion(s) as a field of interdisciplinary enquiry, bringing together perspectives from theology, philosophy, sociology, religious studies, and political thought. Rather than treating religion solely as a system of beliefs, the contributors examine its role in shaping social identity, political agency, and struggles for justice.

The volume also engages with questions of caste, democracy, Ambedkarite thought, and contemporary theoretical approaches, examining Dalit religious experience and its significance within wider debates on religion and society.

Chapters

⚠️ Please note:
The chapter list below is currently incomplete and will be expanded as additional information becomes available.

Front matter

  1. Foreword
  2. Introduction — Y. T. Vinayaraj

Preliminary chapter

  1. Study of Religion: Ayrookuzhiel’s Search for a New Approach in the Context of Dalit Struggle — Godwin Shiri

Part I: Dalits and Religion(s): Epistemology Matters

  1. Caste and Religion: A Critical Survey — Dickens Leonard
  2. Dalit Religion as a Resourceful Symbolic Domain — Sathianathan Clarke
  3. The Playful Epitome: Theorising Dalit Religious Opacities — Baiju Markose
  4. The Study of Dalit Religion(s): Ambedkar and New Materialism — Y. T. Vinayaraj

Publication details

Sacrafanations: Dalit Religion(s): Epistemology, Theology, and Politics was jointly published in 2023 by the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), Bengaluru, and the Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (ISPCK), New Delhi. Edited by Y. T. Vinayaraj, the volume was issued in paperback format and comprises 250 pages. The book bears the ISBN 978-81-19434-06-0 and was dedicated In Memoriam to Rev. Dr. Abraham Ayrookuzhiel (1933–1996). The cover was designed by Crayons Media, Thiruvalla, and the volume was printed by Saurabh Printers, Noida.

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