Abstract
INDIA’S ADIVASIS—and their traditional religions—stand at the intersection of Hinduism and Christianity. Variously characterized by outsiders as practitioners of animism, a folk variety of Hinduism, or a monotheistic precursor to Christianity, Adivasis and their religion have functioned as both a source and a foil through which Hindus and Christians have made sense of their own identity and related to each other. Drawing upon field work with Adivasis in Jharkhand who identify as practitioners of the Sarna religion, I examine two recent controversies: (1) a statue of the Virgin Mary dressed in a traditional Adivasi sari and (2) the addition of a Sarna Code to the census. Analyzing themes of culture and conversion underlying these controversies, I argue that Adivasis and their religion have become a proxy battle ground for conflicts between Hindus and Christians in rural India.
Recommended Citation
Marty, Elsa
(2023)
"The “Missing Third” in Hindu-Christian Studies:
Adivasi Religion,"
Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies:
Vol. 36, Article 3.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.7825/2164-6279.1853