Vernacular Catholicism, vernacular saints : Selva J. Raj on "Being Catholic the Tamil way"

Finalist for the 2018 Best Book in Hindu-Christian Studies presented by the Society for Hindu-Christian StudiesAt the turn of the twenty-first century, Selva J. Raj (1952–2008) was one of the most important scholars of popular Indian Christianity and South Asian religion in North America. Vernacular Catholicism, Vernacular Saints gathers together, for the first time in a single volume, a series of his groundbreaking studies on the distinctively'vernacular'Catholic traditions of Tamil Nadu in southeast India. This collection, which focuses on four rural shrines, highlights ritual variety and ritual transgression in Tamil Catholic practice and offers clues to the ritual exchange, religious hybridity, and dialogue occurring at the grassroots level between Tamil Catholics and their Hindu and Muslim neighbors. Raj also advances a new and alternative paradigm for interreligious dialogue that radically differs from models advocated by theologians, clergy, and other religious elite. In addition, essays by other leading scholars of Indian Christianity and South Asian religions—Michael Amaladoss, Purushottama Bilimoria, Corinne G. Dempsey, Eliza F. Kent, and Vasudha Narayanan—are included that amplify and creatively extend Raj's work. The Church Hierarchy's Response to Popular Acculturation -- Outsiders' Response -- Insiders' Response -- Outside-Insiders -- "Born-Again" Insiders -- Fulltime Insiders -- Ritual: A New Model for Dialogue? -- Notes -- Part II: Health, Healing, and Fertility -- Chapter 5 Shared Vows, Shared Space, and Shared Deities: Vow Rituals among Tamil Catholics in South India -- The Catholic Nerccai System -- The Meaning and Nature of Nerccai -- Types of Nerccai Rituals -- The Shrines -- The Shrine of St. John de Britto -- The Shrine of St. Anne -- The Shrine of St. Anthony -- Three Examples of Devotional Nerccais -- Hair-Shaving Rite -- Fertility Nerccais -- The Coconut Sapling Rite -- The "Baby Auction" Rite -- Healing Rituals -- Shared Vows, Shared Space, and Shared Deities -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Chapter 6 Transgressing Boundaries, Transcending Turner: The Pilgrimage Tradition at the Shrine of St. John de Britto -- The Shrine, the Saint, and the Festival -- The Journey to the Center -- Pilgrimage Rituals at Oriyur -- Goat/Chicken Sacrifice -- Hair-Shaving Rites -- Fertility and Healing Rites -- The Coconut Sapling Rite -- The Cattle Procession Rite -- Transgressing Boundaries -- The Liminality of Oriyur Catholic Pilgrims -- Transcending Turner -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Chapter 7 An Ethnographic Encounter with the Wondrous in a South Indian Catholic Shrine -- The Shrine, Saint, and Devotees -- Encounters with the Wondrous/Miraculous: Two Accounts -- The Social Subtext of Uvari Miracle Discourse -- The View from the Pew -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Part III: Status and Humor, Competition and Communion -- Chapter 8 Public Display, Communal Devotion: Procession at a South Indian Catholic Festival -- The Shrine of St. Anthony at Puliampatti -- The Public Display of Devotion: The Chaparam Procession -- Material Exchange during the Festival T the turn of the twenty-first century, Selva J. Raj (1952-2008) was one of the most important scholars of popular Indian Christianity and South Asian religion in North America. Vernacular Catholicism, Vernacular Saints gathers together, for the first time in a single volume, a series of his groundbreaking studies on the distinctively "vernacular" Catholic traditions of Tamil Nadu in southeast India. This collection, which focuses on four rural shrines, highlights ritual variety and ritual transgression in Tamil Catholic practice and offers clues to the ritual exchange, religious hybridity, and dialogue occurring at the grassroots level between Tamil Catholics and their Hindu and Muslim neighbors. Raj also advances a new and alternative paradigm for interreligious dialogue that radically differs from models advocated by theologians, clergy, and other religious elite. In addition, essays by other leading scholars of Indian Christianity and South Asian religions - Michael Amaladoss, Purushottama Bilimoria, Corinne G. Dempsey, Eliza F. Kent, and Vasudha Narayanan - are included that amplify and creatively extend Raj?s work