Religious Identity as a Function of Pragmatism of the Everyday

Abstract

The article explores the role of the pragmatic principle in shaping religious identities, particularly in the case of the Dalits confronting the possibility of conversion and the possibility of a new identity; or abjuring the same in favour of retaining the old identity. The two areas surveyed, in Kerala and in Tami/nadu revealed ample evidence of the exemplification of this philosophical principle in varied forms. The rules influencing governance according to this principle indicate the influence of the notion of "what works" rather than the correspondence to truth, natura/law, or some other abstract validating principle.