Contributed seminar papers.

Tribal societies in India observe a diverse set of religious practices which are a quintessential part of their community life. This handbook explores rituals, beliefs, ceremonies and festivals, liturgy, knowledge and traditions that tribal people practice today and traces the history of their interaction with other religions, communities and cultures. The book provides analytical, intellectual, and cultural insights into the religious tradition of tribes within the interactive space of a pan-Indian civilisation. It examines contemporary religious practice within tribes while also exploring changes either brought on by interactions or political interventions. The volume reflects on the intersections of cultural or political life of communities and their religious worldviews. The book also discusses the processes of assimilation or adoption of different religion or religious traditions by tribes and the challenges of detribalisation and shrinking populations of vulnerable groups. It explores both established and emerging dynamics in the field of tribe and religion and provides a look into the unique systems of kinship, worship and life within many different tribal communities in India. This and its companion handbook, The Routledge Handbook of Tribe and Religions in India: Contemporary Readings on Spirituality, Belief and Identity, provide a comprehensive look into the religious life and practices of a very diverse group of tribes in India. It will be of interest to academics and researchers working in the fields of religion, anthropology, indigenous and tribal studies, social and cultural anthropology, sociology of culture, sociology of religion, development studies, history, political science, folkloristic, and colonialism.

Papers presented at a seminar on Christianity and national integration, organized by Synod College, Shillong, India, during October 14-15, 2008; with reference to India.

Collection of papers presented at a seminar held at Sacred Heart Theological College, Shillong.

This book examines the distinctive formation of Christianity in Nagaland, Northeast India, since 1947. It argues that an understanding of the history of Christianity in the region can be found in its cultural milieu and the changing political, social and religious environment. In Nagaland, almost 90 per cent of the population are Christians. This book shows that segmentation as a cultural characteristic of Naga society inspired both unity and divisiveness in the Naga churches, which subsequently shaped the beliefs and practices of the churches in the region. Using the methodology of cultural history, the author examines ecclesiastical events and suggests that the history of Christianity should be examined in the light of its interaction with its cultural context rather than as an isolated phenomenon. The book demonstrates that the ethnic status which the Christian faith assumed, the extent of its identification with the local culture, and the scope of the mission of the Naga churches as key stakeholders in society, offers a new angle on the history of Christianity in India. This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of South Asian history, particularly those concerned with Northeast India and Christian history, historiography, cultural history, history of Christianity in India and faith–culture interface, religious studies, history and South Asian Studies.

Contributed articles presented at the Seminar on Ethnic Issues, Secularism, and Conflict Resolution in North-East India held at Shillong during 25-26 April, 2001.

Through an ethnohistorical study of the Nagas—a congeries of tribes inhabiting the Indo-Myanmar frontier—this book explores an unusually interesting region of India that is all too often seen as peripheral. G. Kanato Chophy provides a distinct vantage point for understanding the Nagas in relation to colonialism, missionary encounters, identity politics, and cultural change, all seamlessly woven around American Baptist mission history in this region. The book also analyses India's cacophonous postindependence democracy in order to delineate multifaith issues, multiculturalism, and ethnicity-based political movements. Within the West, episodic memories of the "Great Awakening," a significant landmark in the history of Protestantism, have faded into archival records. But among the Nagas of the Indo-Myanmar highlands, Baptist Christianity persists as the dominant religion, influencing the daily lives of nearly three million people. Focusing variously on evangelical faith, missionary zeal, ethnic identities, political struggle, and complex culture wars, Christianity and Politics in Tribal India is an original and major study of how Protestant missions changed the history and destiny of a tribal community in one of the unlikeliest regions of South Asia.

Description: This Volume on Indian Christianity Represents the Unique Character of Christian Belief Systems and its Practice in the Indian Context, Reflected in the Divergent Cultural and Ethnic Expressions that have been Theologically Justified by Various Individuals and Groups Representing Diverse Christian Denominations. The Uniqueness of Christian Faith and Practice Lies in its Claim that the Religion is Based Upon Love. In a Comparative Study of Religions, it is Never Possible to Make such Claim in Relation to other Religions. What is Pointed out here is that Christianity, in Genesis and Practice, Makes Love its Central Reality. The Shift that Occurred with the Message of Jesus Vis-a-Vis the Message of the Old Testament is Best Described in Terms of the Shift from God of Justice to God of Love as Preached by Jesus. Another Distinguishing Mark of Christian Faith and Practice is the Emphasis on Jesus of Nazareth as a Historical Person. Besides, Depending on the References to Non-Biblical Texts to Authenticate the Historicity of Jesus, Christians in the Later Part of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century have Undertaken Critical Inquiry into the Reliability of the Biblical Texts, Composition of the Books, etc. which gave Rise to a Distinct Method of Hermeneutics/Exegesis. Most Papers in this Volume have Either Commitment to Historicity of Jesus or Rely Upon Exegetical/Hermeneutical Method While Establishing the Truth. The Papers in this Volume Deal with Four Different Themes : the Historical, the Conceptual, the Theological and the Social. As a Historical Contribution, the Papers Reflect on Early Christianity Both World Wide and in India and Spread of Christianity in Various Parts of the Country. As a Conceptual Contribution, the Papers Reflect on the Unique Character of Indian Christianity which has its Genesis in Indian Culture and has Retained Many of its Elements While at the Same Time Asserting its Universal Character. At the Theological Level, the Papers Deal with Theological Aspects of Indian Christianity Particularly in the Context of Christianity s Interaction with other Faiths. And Finally, at the Social Level, the Contributors Reflect on Social Contribution of Christianity in Terms of Science, Art, Music and Culture. All the Papers Both Directly and Indirectly, Implicitly or Overtly, Contribute to Show the Essence of Indian Christianity, Both as Communion and as a Social Reality. This Book on Indian Christianity is Likely to be of Interest Both to Researchers as Well as the General Public, some of whom have Varied Misconceptions about the Two Millennia of Expression of Faith in India.