Two new publications on “The Christian Patriot”

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Two publication projects have just been completed that have long been a focus of work at the Chair of Church History I (Early and Global History of Christianity) under the former chair holder Prof. Klaus Koschorke: 1. a digital edition of the Indian journal “The Christian Patriot” (Madras/Chennai 1890-1929) and 2. the English version of Klaus Koschorke's monograph (entitled “Owned and Conducted Entirely by the Native Christian Community”. The Christian Patriot and the Indigenous-Christian Press in Colonial India Around 1900. Munich/Vienna 2025).

The particular significance of this journal lies in the fact that, unlike Western missionary publications in India, it was „owned and conducted“ exclusively by Indian Christians themselves. It thus served as their own mouthpiece in the colonial public sphere of the country. The Christian Patriot (CP) is thus a model for numerous periodicals published by indigenous Christian elites in Asia and Africa, which offer a completely new perspective (“from below”) on the history of Christianity in the Global South at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Christian Patriot commented on a wide range of national and international news. In doing so, it criticized both the paternalism (and racism) of missionaries and Hindu fundamentalist tendencies in parts of the Indian national movement. It demanded and promoted education for women and sought to establish networks with Christian elites in other regions of the South. Despite its considerable influence and wide reach—in India, South Asia, South Africa, the UK, and the US—it is little known today. This makes the current digital edition and the English version of Klaus Koschorke's monograph all the more important, following the publication of a German edition in 2018.

The digital edition of the CP and the monograph are available in open access mode and can be downloaded free of charge. The monograph is now also available in print from the publisher Buchschmiede (ISBN 978-3-99181-922-6).