Christians and Public Life in Colonial South India, 1863-1937: Contending with Marginality

An issue often raised by scholars of Christianity in Africa, South Asia and other non-Western societies is whether being or becoming Christian displaces converts from local institutions and marginalizes them from national culture. This book describes a condition of marginality faced by Catholic and Protestant elites of the Madras Presidency, but argues that this condition was far from inevitable. Imperial policies, particularly in the form of judicial decisions, alienated so-called 'Native Christians' from the basic institutions that make one Indian, namely, family and caste. In spite of being the second largest minority in India, Christians have factored minimally into the writing of India's political history. This book redresses the balance, by describing how Christians became isolated from the national mainstream.

Chandra Mallampalli is Assistant Professor of History at Westmont College.