Tamil Folk Music As Dalit Liberation Theology

Zoe C. Sherinian shows how Christian Dalits (once known as untouchables or out castes) in southern India have employed music to protest social oppression and as a vehicle of liberation. Her focus is on the life and theology of a charismatic composer and leader, Reverend J. Theophilus Appavoo, who drew on Tamil folk music to create a distinctive form of indigenized Christian music. Appavoo composed songs and liturgy infused with messages linking Christian theology with critiques of social inequality. Sherinian traces the history of Christian music in India and introduces us to a community of Tamil Dalit Christian villagers, seminary students, activists, and theologians who have been inspired by Appavoo's music to work for social justice. Multimedia components available online include video and audio recordings of musical performances, religious services, and community rituals.

Zoe C. Sherinian is Associate Professor and Chair of Ethnomusicology at the University of Oklahoma. She received her Ph. D. (1998) and M.A. in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. She received her B.A. in Music and Sociology-Anthropology from Oberlin College. She has taught at Franklin and Marshall College and Oberlin College. She is also an active percussionist and scholar-filmmaker. Her first ethnographic film is on the changing status of Dalit drummers is titled "This is a Music: Reclaiming an Untouchable Drum."