Mark and its Subalterns: A Hermeneutical Paradigm for a Postcolonial Context (BibleWorld)

This book offers a fresh appraisal of the identity and involvement of the subalterns in Mark, arguing that the presence of the subalterns is a possible hermeneutical tool for re-reading the Bible in a postcolonial context such as India. The first part of this book paves the way for a creative discussion on Mark and its interpreters by examining the issue of the spread of Christianity and missionary attempts at biblical interpretations that did not take the life of natives into account. Many insights from these postcolonial situations can be found in contextual interpretations such as liberation, feminist, postcolonial feminist and subaltern. The second part considers colonial rule in Palestine and examines some Markan texts showing the potential role of the subalterns. Because of colonial rule, the native people suffered in terms of their identity, religion and culture. There was conflict between Galilee and Jerusalem mainly on religious issues. The victims of domination were the poor peasants and the artisans in Galilee. To effectively understand the marginal and subaltern groups, the author exegetes Mark 10:17-31, 7:24-30 and 5:1-20 and reveals postcolonial issues such as the poor and their representation, gender, race, hybridity, class, nationalism, and purity respectively. The subalterns were mainly associated with movements of resistance in Palestine, and the Markan proclamation of solidarity with those subalterns is significant. The authors conclusion presents the implications of this interpretation for a hermeneutical paradigm in a postcolonial context