Striving For Religious Ideals – Hinduism and Christianity, Dalits and Oppression

The Dalit situation in India and its relation to Hinduism has parallels that can be drawn to the slavery and oppression of Black and African Americans in the United States, a country founded on overtly Christian theological sentiments.  Both countries have religious majorities with theological ideals of equality and non-discrimination, and yet both have long histories of oppression and dehumanization of minority populations.  However, the civil rights movement in the United States was ultimately inspired by the reaffirmation of Christian religious ideals; this work seeks to reaffirm Hindu ideals of non-discrimination and equality present in fundamental texts and embodied by figures both historical and modern, from the Alvars in South India (7th-10th century) to 20th century Hindu leaders.  This comparative approach brings the sociocultural scenarios of the U.S. and India into dialogue around issues of oppression and religious ideals, providing a new angle to the often-oppositional Hindu-Dalit relationship.