The Oxford Handbook of Postcolonial Biblical Criticism

The Oxford Handbook of Postcolonial Biblical Criticism is a comprehensive treatment of a relatively new form of scholarship-one of the most compelling and contested theories to emerge in recent times, and a topic that actively seeks to expand the ways in which the Bible can be studied, interpreted, and applied. Generally speaking, postcolonialism aims to critique and dismantle hegemonic worldviews and power structures, while giving voice to previously marginalized peoples and systems of thought. This approach, often varied in form, has inevitably engaged with the text and reception of the Bible, a scripture that Western colonizers introduced to-and often imposed upon-their colonial subjects. With a globally diverse list of contributors, the Handbook aims to cover the perspective and context of the authors of the Bible, as well as the modern experiences of imperialism, resistance, decolonization, and nationalism. Moreover, the volume includes both a theoretical overview and an exploration of how the field intersects with related areas, such as gender studies, race, postmodernism, and liberation theology.

R S Sugirtharajah is Professor Emeritus in Biblical Hermeneutics at Birmingham University, U.K., and has taught and lectured in several countries. He is author and editor of significant volumes on biblical studies, including The Bible and Asia (Harvard University Press), Jesus in Asia (Harvard University Press), The Bible and Empire (Cambridge University Press), The Bible and the Third World (Cambridge University Press), Postcolonial Criticism and Biblical Interpretation (Oxford University Press), Exploring Postcolonial Biblical Criticism (Wiley Blackwell), and The Brahmin and His Bible (Bloomsbury/T&T Clark). His edited volume Voices from the Margin was a Catholic Book Award winner. Besides his academic work, he contributes a regular cultural column for a leading Tamil literary journal in Chennai, India. He has also published a collection of short stories and three volumes of essays in Tamil.