Dalit Theology and Dalit Christology

Introduction Dalit theology is the most creative, relevant, contextual and emancipatory theology in the postmodern theological scenario. Basically, Dalit theology is an identity theology which incorporates Dalit story and Dalit struggles as important theological categories. In fact, Dalit theology is deeply characterized by Dalit pathos and suffering. Therefore the ultimate aim of the Dalit theology is the realization of Dalit liberation from all dehumanizing oppressive structures. Dalit Christology ideates the liberating experience through the person and work of Jesus Christ. This research paper is an attempt to elucidate Dalit theology and Dalit Christology. Dalit Theology Etymology of the term Dalit At the outset, it is appropriate to explain the term Dalit. The term Dalit has its root in three oldest languages of the world, namely Hebrew, Sanskrit and Akkadian.1 The Marathi word Dalit is derived from the Sanskrit word dal, means broken and down-trodden. In the words of A.P. Nirmal, who pioneered Dalit Theology in India, the Dalits are 1) the broken, the torn, the rent, the burst, the split; 2) the opened, the expanded; 3) the bisected; 4) the driven asunder, the dispelled, the scattered; 5) the downtrodden, the crushed, the destroyed; and 6) the manifested, the displayed.2 So the term Dalit has been used to identify those communities which have been economically, socially and politically oppressed for centuries by the hegemony of Brahmincal Hindu social order, that is, the caste system. Therefore the term Dalit refers both to people who are oppressed and dehumanized and the status of their dehumanization.3 It was Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, a 19th century Marathi reformer who used the term Dalits to describe the conditions of outcastes and untouchables. However the term Dalit gained wider currency through the writings of B.R. Ambedkar and the functioning of Dalit panther Movement.4 Previously Dalits were branded as avarnas, Panchamas (fifth caste), chandlas (doomed people), Untouchables, Depressed class and so on by varnashrama dharma (the four fold caste division), high caste Hindus and the British Government respectively. However the term Dalit is a self construed term by the Dalit community, they have chuck out all the titles given by others because of the incapability of those title to express the authentic identity of Dalits. The term Dalit is not a caste-category, rather a category through which Dalits rejects

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James Massey, Towards Dalit Hermeneutics, (Delhi: ISPCK, 1994), 1-5. Arvind P. Nirmal, Heuristic Explorations, (Madras: CLS, 1990), 139. 3 M.E. Prabhakar, The Search for a Dalit Theology,Arvind P. Nirmal, ed., A Reader in Dalit Theology ( Chennai: Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, 1991), 41-43. 4 James Massey, Towards Dalit Hermeneutics, (Delhi: ISPCK, 1994), 29-31.

the notions of caste and its subjectivity. Moreover, it is a category by which Dalits visualizes transformed social status and social space.5 Origin of Dalit Theology Dalit theology emerged as a theological strand in the early 1980s. The watershed event related to the origin of Dalit theology was the Arvind P. Nirmals lecture entitled Towards a Shudra Theology to the Carey Society of the United Theological College, Bangalore, in April 1981.6 A.P. Nirmals address was a clarion call to the Dalits, to shun theological passivity and to reformulate authentic theological reflection through Dalit category. Though Nirmal didnt use the term Dalit in his address, it provided a strong foundation for the Dalit Theology. Moreover it marked a clear shift in the direction of Indian Christian theology in the line of Dalit theology. Kothapalli Wilson is the first theologian who used the term Dalit as a theological category.7 The pioneers of Dalit theology are A. P. Nirmal, M. E. Prabhakar, James Massey, K. Wilson, M. Azariah, Abraham Ayrookuzhiyil, V. Devasahayam, F.J. Balasundaram, J.C. Webster and so on have laboured hard for the emergence of Dalit theology. Why Dalit Theology? (Rationale for Dalit Theology) According to the first generation Dalit theologians there are various reasons for the origin of Dalit theology. It has been uniformly acknowledged by the pioneers of Dalit Theology, that Christian Dalit theology emerged due to the insensitivity of the Indian Church and the traditional Indian Christian theology toward Dalit concerns. For A.P Nirmal, it is because of Indian Christian theologys obsession with the Brahmanic tradition made by the minority elite class and the undermining of Dalit converts who constitutes the majority of the Indian church.8. According to M.E. Prabhakar, Christian Dalits suffer a four-fold alienations; from state government, non-Christian Dalits, upper caste Christians and distinctions among themselves on the basis of language and region.9 Moreover the passivity and the uninvolvement of the Indian church towards the Dalit condition of dehumanization, subjugation and marginalization; are the main reasons for the emergence of Dalit theology. 10 M. Azariah highlights the Gospel imperative of taking the side of oppressed, preferential option for poor and marginalizes as a rationale for Dalit theology.11Therefore, Dalit theology is an attempt of the majority of the Indian Christians to strive for an authentic expression of their struggles, identity, and their aspirations for emancipation.

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Y.T. Vinaya Raj, Re-imagining Dalit Theology: Post modern readings, (Tiruvalla:CSS,2010), 25. Sathianathan Clarke, Dalit Theology: An Introductory and Interpretive Theological Exposition, Sathianathan Clarke, Deenabandhu Manchala, and Philip Vinod Peacock, ed., Dalit Theology in the Twenty-first Century: Discordant voices, Discerning Pathways (New Delhi: Oxford, 2010), 19. 7 In his article entitled, The Twice-alienated Culture of Dalit Christians (1982). 8 A.P. Nirmal, Heuristic Exploration, (Madras: CLS, 1990), 141-142. 9 M.E. Prabhakar, The Search for a Dalit Theology, in A Reader in Dalit Theology edited by Arvind P. Nirmal ( Chennai: Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, 1991), p 43. 10 M.E. Prabhakar, The Search for a Dalit Theology, in A Reader in Dalit Theology edited by Arvind P. Nirmal ( Chennai: Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, 1991), p 45. 11 M. Azariah, Doing Theology in Indian Today, Nirmal, 90-91.

Dalit theology: A Description Dalit theologians explicate Dalit theology in different ways. However, two important tags associated with Dalit theology is the tag of identity theology and counter theology. As an identity theology, Dalit theology highlights the distinctive identity of Dalit people.12 All peoples theologies are really theologies of identity seeking to express the distinctive identities of particular people who are denied their distinctive character. Examples are Dalit theology, Tribal theology, Black theology, African theology.13 According to M. E. Prabhakar, Dalit theology is a particular peoples theology i.e. that of the Dalits, therefore a theology of the Dalits, by the Dalits and for the Dalits.14 More over in his opinion, Dalit theology is not only a prophetic theology calling for identification with the oppression of Dalits and their struggles for equality and justice, but also a political theology geared to social action in order to transform unjust, undemocratic and oppressive structures.15 Therefore, as an identity theology, Dalit theology is the theological reflection on Dalit experiences, Dalit sufferings, Dalit history, Dalit Culture and Dalit emancipation exclusively by Dalits. A. P. Nirmal advocates for a methodological exclusivism for maintaining the distinctive identity of Dalit theology. Dalit theology challenges the encroaching influence of the dominant theology through methodological excluvism. 16 Dalit theology as a counter theology challenges traditional Indian Christian theology and marks a radical paradigm shift from the traditional Indian Christian theology which has an inclination towards Brahmanic tradition which resulted in maintain the status quo of caste system in the Indian society. More over as a counter theology, it challenges the dominant nature of traditional Indian Christian theology and thereby discarding the oppressive elements of Hindu religion which had historically denied Dalit humanity. In the words of M. E. Prabhakar, it is a new theology because it is from below and uses Dalit peoples languages and expressions, their stories and songs of sufferings and triumphs, popular wisdom including their values, proverbs, folk lore and myths and so on to interpret their history and culture and to articulate a faith to live by and to act on".17 As a counter theological enterprise, Dalit theology is a transition from the world of Propositions to the world of Peoples, and from the world of abstract philosophies to concrete life situations. In short, Dalit theology emerged as a counter- theological movement, which offers a pragmatic approach for doing theology in Indian scenario by empowering the Dalits in their struggle for liberation from human indignity, inequality and oppression.

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Arvind P. Nirmal, Towards a Christian Dalit Theology, in A Reader in Dalit Theology edited by Arvind P. Nirmal ( Chennai: Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, 1991), 53-59. 13 ARVIND P. NIRMAL, Doing Theology from a Dalit Perspective, in ARVIND P. NIRMAL, ed., A Reader in Dalit Theology (Madras: Gurukul, 1991) p.143. 14 M.E. Prabhakar, The Search for a Dalit Theology, in A Reader in Dalit Theology edited by Arvind P. Nirmal ( Chennai: Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, 1991), 47. 15 Ibid, 48. 16 Towarda A Christian Dalit Theology. A .P reader P.58-59 Doin Theology from a Dalit-Nirmalreader rperspective 142-143 17 M.E. Prabhakar, The Search for a Dalit Theology, in A Reader in Dalit Theology edited by Arvind P. Nirmal ( Chennai: Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, 1991), 47.

The objectives of Dalit theology A.P. Nirmal, father of Christian Dalit theology postulates that the goal of Dalit theology is not simply gaining of the rights, the reservations or privileges, but the realization of the image of God in Dalits.18 In other words, liberation from the status of untouchables to that of the children of God. For M.E. Prabhakar the goal of the Dalit theology is the liberation of the Dalits from the socio-economic and political bondage.19 Thus, liberation from all dehumanizing structures and the realization of full humanity is the key objective of Dalit theology. Historical Dalit Consciousness According to A.P. Nirmal, the historical Dalit consciousness is the primary datum of a Christian Dalit theology. The question of Dalit consciousness is really the question of our roots. 20 Further, Nirmal incorporates Deuteronomic creed found in Deuteronomy 26: 5-12 as a model to expound the Dalit root, identity and consciousness. According to James Massey, Dalit theology is Dalit history. 21 For him, Dalit theology is a call for a journey into the explored depths of Dalit consciousness. The theological expression that grows within the womb of this Dalit history will then lead to actions that will ultimately result in Dalit Liberation.22 The historical Dalit consciousness of dehumanise existence and outcast experience; in fact this consciousness, which forms the basis for Dalit ideology. Michel Foucaults theory of discursive formation reminds us that, histories are internal, not external to the people; in fact people are an embodiment of histories. As a community, Dalits are an embodiment of oppression, pain and exploitation in their body. Pathos as the basis of Dalit theology The authentic source of Dalit theology is the pathos or the pain experience of Dalits. According to A. P. Nirmal, the experience of pathos marks a significant epistemological shift in the Dalit approach to theology. For Nirmal, pain or pathos is the beginning of knowledge. 23 In fact Dalits are embodiment of pathos or pain, which they are experiencing for more than 3,000 years. It is through the pathos that Dalits experience God. Moreover, an authentic Dalit theology can only sprout out from the pathos experience of Dalits. Therefore the hallmark of the Dalit theology is pathos and suffering. The pathos experience leads the Dalits to strive for their aims and goals. Thus, the pathos experience of the Dalits places them

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Heuristic Exploration, Nirmal, p 148 M.E. Prabhakar, Search for a Dalit theology, reader Nirmal p 48-49 20 A.P. Nirmal, Towards Christian Dalit Theology, Heuristic Exploration (Madras, CLS,1990) p 145-147 21 James Massey, Down Trodden: The struggle of Indias Dalits for Identity, Solidarity and Liberation (Geneva: WCC, 1997), 59. 22 Ibid. 23 Nirmal, Doing theology from a Dalit perspective, reader p 141

in a privileged position rather than others, to speak about God or to interpret the Christian message for themselves. Dalit Christology Christology from the Dalit perspective expresses the Dalit realities through the paradigm of the life of Jesus Christ. The objective of Christology within Dalit theology is to interpret the relevance of the person and work of Jesus Christ to a marginalized, oppressed and dehumanized people; the Dalits. Dalit Christology is in fact a re- interpretation of Christology in Dalit categories. Dalit Christology envisions a paradigm of liberation upon which Dalits can construct an alternate vision of social and religious interactions, enabling them to move towards an

Like any other Christian identity theology, Dalit theology identified Jesus Christ in the midst of their struggle for human dignity, equality, and liberation from socio-economic oppression. As A.P. Nirmal states, Jesus of India is in the midst of the liberation struggle of the Dalits of India.24The exodus experience (from Hinduism) coupled with pathos and Dalit identity enabled Dalits to identify Jesus Christ as their God, in fact a Dalit God. Nirmal remarks that in our exodus to Jesus Christ, we have had a liberating experience.25 Dalit Christology portrays the commonality between Jesus servitude and the Dalit servitude in Indian society, thereby identifying with Jesus Christ.26 Jesus whom Dalit follow is a Dalit Jesus. The ontology of Jesus is reinterpreted.

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Nirmal. Towards a Christian Dalit theoloty, reader,63 Ibid. 26 Nirmal. Towards a Christian Dalit theoloty, reader, 64-67