From ‘Charity’ to ‘Justice’

The monograph From Charity to Justice analyses the radical paradigm shift in the Jesuit mission in Tamil Nadu, India. It examines how the Jesuits acted as catalysts in the process of social awakening by raising critical consciousness among the suffering Dalit masses through various initiatives they launched from 1952 to 2002. The micro-analysis on social history also delves into the methodology they adopted in the grass-root mobilization, movements with which they collaborated, hurdles they faced, challenges they responded, and the support they received from various people’s movements and civil society groups to their ‘justice’ ministry. The study also elicits how the support of the Jesuits to the struggles of Dalit Christians for equality in the Church, particularly through the Dalit Christian Liberation Movement (DCLM) was instrumental in bringing changes in the policies and programmes in the Church in Tamil Nadu. Moreover, this research volume succinctly explains the metamorphosis it underwent from the phase of charitable works to the people-centred social mobilization and organized action for justice.