Migrations have been a primary agent of the globalization of Christianity and its continued transformations throughout history. Migrants from Europe brought along with them their versions of Christianity to the Americas in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Voluntary and forced migrations from other continents continue to change the texture of American Christianity. David C. Chao has documented the oral stories of East Asian American Christian immigrants, a project the Louisville Institute supported. In continuation of this critical work of studying Asian American Christian communities, I propose to examine the faith and practices of Telugu American Christians, a linguistic community from South Asia.
Telugu Christian migrants were socially marginalized back home as Dalits. Migrating to US, they find themselves discriminated against both by their compatriots and also by the locals. They are no better respected in the Christian fellowships. This multi-fold alienation —as people of color in the American society, as a religious minority within the larger Indian American diaspora community, as “outcastes” among the Telugus, and within the Christian “fellowships” shapes their Christian faith. This study analyzes the impact of experiences of discrimination in their homeland, displacement, and yearning for social respect in their new home on the beliefs and practices of Telugu Christian immigrants. It focuses on Telugu Christian migrants’ understanding of sacred space, belonging, and mission.
The proposed study would shed further light on the impact of migration in the transformation of Christianity across the centuries and around the globe and thus contribute to the study of world Christianity. It would also broaden our understanding of American Christianity, especially its margins that seldom receive scholarly attention. Third, it would illumine our understanding of Telugu Christianity worldwide, especially with respect to their faith and practices.