Caste

Conversion to Christianity offered – at least in theory – Hindus a way out of varnas, or hereditary hierarchies dividing people into rigid castes
Conversion to Christianity offered – at least in theory – Hindus a way out of varnas, or hereditary hierarchies dividing people into rigid castes

Barry explains in this section what she knew of India’s caste system, a social hierarchy with roots in Hinduism. Many liberal, American Christian missionaries like Barry hoped to help eradicate what they saw as the injustice of “caste-ism” – even if this wasn’t officially a part of their stated objectives.  They linked “caste-ism” to the race-based prejudices familiar to them in the United States.  In this section, Barry talks about “mass movement Christians” and their conversion to Christianity to escape the stigma of being “low-born.”

Knew About Caste

Two Villages Eat Together

Language Study Caste

Jim and I Didn’t Agree

Village: One Christian

Click here to download the podcast for this segment.

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