Ep111. Theologising with the Sacred ‘Prostitutes‘ of South India, Eve Rebecca Parker

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I sat down with Eve Rebecca Parker to discuss an Indecent Dalit Theology. We talk about her book where she theologises with the Dalit women who from childhood have been dedicated to village goddesses and used as ‘sacred’ sex workers. We talk about how she came to this project, and what theology and the reading of Scripture gains through engagement with the lived religiosity and daily struggles of these dedicated women, known as devadāsīs. Parker shows that it is through this engagement that an Indecent Dalit Liberation Theology that challenges systems of oppression and cultures of impunity, including casteism, sexism, classism and a history of socio-political and religious marginalisation can emerge. We end by discussing how it this engagement shapes her ongoing work - especially on trust in theological education.

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Eve Rebecca Parker, Ph.D. (2016), University of St Andrews, is Postdoctoral Research Associate in Theological Education at Durham University. Her recent publications include The Virgin and the Whore – An Interreligious Challenge for Our Times, The Ecumenical Review (2019).

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