Race, Caste, and Missionary Work of the Syro-Malabar Catholics in Postcolonial India and the US

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the rise of Syro-Malabar Catholic missionary work in India in the mid-twentieth century and the United States today. At a time when India was beginning to curb foreign missionary work in India, in-house Syro-Malabar Catholic missionary work was on the rise. I examine the racial differences between (white) Catholic missionaries and (brown) dominant caste Catholics. In India, there are three rites of Catholicism: Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, and Latin. While the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara rites are considered ‘forward’ caste in the state of Kerala, Latin Catholics are recognized as OBC. The majority of Catholics in India are Dalit and Adivasi, but the Catholic hierarchy remains overwhelmingly dominant caste. Thus, there is a caste division between rites of Catholicism in India which plays into missionary work. This caste dynamic is key in understanding Syro-Malabar missionary work especially outside of the state of Kerala. In the US, Syro-Malabar dominant caste priests may experience racism especially in predominantly white rural areas where they have little support systems in place. They also may be sent to Native communities, entering into the long history and present of Catholic settler colonialism. I examine how caste and race configures Catholic missionary work by specifically examining how the Catholic hierarchy is structured by caste, how caste and race may shape how spiritual labour is perceived by Catholics and non-Catholics alike, and how caste and race shape how priests themselves view the spiritual guidance of white, Indigenous, Dalit Bahujan, and Adivasi parishioners.