Caste, Gender, and Christianity in Colonial India: Telugu Women in Mission

219 Pages·2013·1.367 MB·English

by  James Elisha Taneti (auth.)

Caste, Gender, and Christianity in
Colonial India
Postcolonialism and Religions
The Postcolonialism and Religions series by its very name bridges the secular
with the sacred through hybrid, interstitial, and contrapuntal inquiries. The
series features the scholarship of indigenous scholars working at the intersec-
tions of postcolonial theories, theologies, and religions. The editors welcome
authors around the world in an effort to move beyond and interrogate a
historical North American and Euro-centric postcolonial studies disciplinary
dominance. The series seeks to foster subaltern voices especially from Africa,
Asia, Central and South America, and the liquid continent.
J. Jayakiran Sebastian is a Presbyter of the Church of South India and H. George
Anderson Professor of Mission and Cultures at The Lutheran Theological
Seminary at Philadelphia. He has served as Professor and Chairperson of the
Department of Theology and Ethics at the United Theological College in
Bangalore.
Joseph F. Duggan is a Presbyter in The Episcopal Church and an Episcopal
Church Foundation Academic Fellow. He is the founder of Postcolonial
Networks and the Journal of Postcolonial Networks.
Decolonizing the Body of Christ: Theology and Theory after Empire?
Edited by David Joy and Joseph Duggan
A Postcolonial African American Re-reading of Colossians: Identity,
Reception, and Interpretation under the Gaze of Empire
Annie Tinsley
Caste, Gender, and Christianity in Colonial India: Telugu Women in Mission
James Elisha Taneti
Caste, Gender, and
Christianity in Colonial
India
Telugu Women in Mission
James Elisha Taneti
CASTE, GENDER, AND CHRISTIANITY IN COLONIAL INDIA
Copyright © James Elisha Taneti, 2013.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 978-1-137-38308-2
All rights reserved.
First published in 2013 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-48034-0 ISBN 978-1-137-38228-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137382283
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Taneti, James Elisha, 1972–
Caste, gender, and Christianity in colonial India : Telugu women in
mission / James Elisha Taneti.
p. cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1 . Missions—India—History. 2. Women missionaries—India—H istory.
3. Protestant churches—Missions—India—History. 4. Women in
church work—India—History. 5. Telugu (Indic people)—India—
Religion. 6. Dalits—India—Religion. 7. Christianity—India—History.
I. Title.
BV3265.3.T36 2013
275.4(cid:2)840082—dc23 2013027000
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: December 2013
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In honor of my parents
Rajamani
and
Eliah
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
List of Abbreviations xiii
Glossary xv
1 Introduction 1
2 Foremothers and Foreign Sisters 25
3 The Meeting of Two Worlds in One Office: 1880–1921 53
4 Institutionalizing a Ministry: 1922–1947 85
5 A Local Manifestation of a Global Office 119
6 Conclusion 141
Appendix: Letters of Marian Bowers as Quoted
by Ellen Ranyard 145
Notes 149
Bibliography 185
Index 199
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Illustrations
Figures
1.1 The Indian Empire 4
4.1 Telugu Biblewomen with Canadian Baptist
missionaries 110
4.2 Two Lutheran Biblewomen 115
Table
4.1 Comparison of subjects offered in various
seminaries 95