Turbulent Transformations: Non-Brahmin Srivaisnavas on Religion, Caste and Politics in Tamil Nadu

This book studies the interlinking of religious, social and political identities in modern Tamil Nadu. Through interviews with non-Brahmin r vai avas of many castes, but especially belonging to the lower-caste groups, it analyses their histories of discrimination, their negotiation of lived realities, and hopes for the future. The interviews all refer to the history of r vai avism, an historically important Hindu sect in the region, the religion's theology of caste inclusiveness, and history of Brahmin leadership exclusiveness. In addition, the author also addresses colonial changes, Telugu connections, the non-Brahmin movement, Dalit mobilisation, post-Independence caste hierarchies, government policies, party politics, Brahmin reactions, court cases, and inter-religious competition. Turbulent Transformations breaks new ground by highlighting radical non-Brahmin leaders in the colonial period. It probes the r vai ava connections of prominent political figures such as Periyar and Jayalalithaa. And it explores the relation of the temples, the state, and the Supreme Court over questions such as who is allowed to be a priest . This book provides insights into new configurations of democracy, caste and modern lived Hinduism. It fills the lacunae created by Brahmin narratives, scholarly studies focused on Tamil aivism or Christianity, and political and sociological analyses removed from the dynamic pulse of religion in interaction with the non-Brahmin movement over the past century.