Whose Story?
To what extent can history be written from the perspective of the religion of a people or a group?…Does not writing of an “Indian History of Christianity”, “Indian History of Islam” or “History of Hinduism” create division among a people? Moreover, if we take religion as the point of reference and make a history out of it, does not this enterprise isolate people from the complex texture of life made up of social, political, economic, cultural and regional realities? There is, then, a lot of truth in the apprehension about the history of any group written from the viewpoint of their religious affiliation…
Felix Wilfred.
My Comments:
Felix Wilfred’s tremendously erudite and yet practically relevant article on the engagement of Christianity with Colonised India has appeared in this month’s Vidyajyoti. Ultimately he argues for a subaltern approach if contemporary Indian Christians are to rid themselves of the specter of colonialism which still haunts Christianity in India today.
While I do not agree with everything this article talks about, yet it should be compulsory reading for any politically conscious reader. In fact, after reading him, I feel equipped to tackle the thorny issue of Mr. Jinnah so plaguing BJP office holders.
