Theologising with the sacred 'prostitutes' of South India : towards an indecent Dalit theology
Abstract
This thesis theologises with the contemporary devadāsīs of South India, focusing in
particular on the Dalit girls who from childhood have been dedicated to the goddess
Mathamma and used as village sex workers. Firstly, chapters one and two situate the
context for theologising by outlining the discriminatory practice of caste and the place of
the Dalits, noting in particular the plight of Dalit women. From here it explores the socioreligious identities of the contemporary devadāsīs that have been transformed and
degraded as a result of a multitude of hegemonies, to the extent that the existential
narratives of the contemporary devadāsīs are shaped by sexual violence, caste and gender
discrimination, local village religiosity and sex work. And it is based upon such narratives
that this research contemplates God. Chapter three suggests that there exists a lacuna in
Indian Christian Theology and Dalit Liberation Theology for the voices and experiences of
the most marginalised of Dalit women, in particular those whose narratives would be
deemed “indecent”. In response, inspired by the Indecent Theology of Marcella Althaus-Reid, it suggests that in order to be truly identity-specific and liberating to the most
marginalised of Dalit women, Dalit Liberation Theology must be born out of the sexual
narratives of the oppressed. Chapter four therefore uses an Indecent Dalit feminist
hermeneutic to re-read the narratives of the “harlots,” “concubines,” and “whores” of
Scripture alongside the lived experiences of the Dalit sacred “prostitutes.” It does so in the
hope of challenging patriarchal hegemonic Dalit Christian theologising that portrays the
‘decent’ woman as godly, to the detriment of those who transgress heteronormative sexual
moral orders. The final chapter goes on to further challenge Dalit Theology to discover the
Dalit Christ in the context of the dedicated women – where we encounter a lived religiosity,
that is shaped by religious hybridity, goddess worship and the Christ who has become a Dalit
devi.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
Embargo Date: 2023-10-03
Embargo Reason: Thesis restricted in accordance with University regulations. Electronic copy restricted until 3rd October 2023
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