Author Description

A striking development of recent times has been the explosive growth of fundamentalist forms of Christianity in the Third World. This book, the first ethnography of an urban Protestant community in India, traces the emergence of this kind of religiosity and shows how it now challenges the liberal doctrines and practices introduced by the missionaries. Caplan portrays fundamentalism as a species of popular culture favored by those far removed from centers of power and privilege. He also explores the nature of the south Indian urban class order, the manner of its reproduction, and its involvement with religious processes.