Dalit theology is a branch of Christian theology that emerged among the Dalit caste in India in the 1980s. It shares a number of themes with liberation theology, which arose two decades earlier, including a self-identity as a people undergoing Exodus. Dalit theology sees hope in the "Nazareth Manifesto" of Luke 4, where Jesus speaks of preaching "good news to the poor ... freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind" and of releasing "the oppressed."
More...
Vincent Manoharan, a Dalit from India, gives a compelling presentation detailing his country's discriminatory caste system. Dalits, or "Untouchables," are the children of a low-ranking Shudra with someone from one of the three higher castes. In modern India, they are treated as subhuman - they suffer from systematic segregation and humiliation. They cannot access public parks, water resources, and teashops, among other resources, and they perform the least wanted jobs, such as gutter cleaning and grave digging. Dalits are also the victims of physical violence, acts that usually go unpunished. Despite this disheartening situation, Manoharan has hope that his people can overcome the obstacles that stand in their way to fair treatment. The Dalits' fight for the "reclamation of human personality" is one that Manoharan champions, saying at the close of his speech, "We will win!"
No comments:
Post a Comment