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DTSTAMP:20260828T123802
DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20261113T160000
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SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:2026-2027 CSAS Lecture Series | Indians and Cowboys: Race\, Caste\, and Catholic Missionary Priests from India in Rural America
DESCRIPTION:Please note: This lecture will be held in person and virtually on Zoom. If you would like to attend via Zoom\, registration is required. Once you've registered\, joining information will be sent to your email. Register for the Zoom webinar at: https://myumi.ch/Mpp95\n\nOver the past four decades\, the U.S. has become increasingly dependent on international priests to help run Catholic parishes\, schools\, hospitals\, missions\, and more. 90% of dioceses in the U.S. today rely on foreign born priests. Many of these priests are from India and they come on the R-1 temporary religious worker visa - a lesser researched visa category in South Asian diaspora studies that does not require a salary\, only compensation. Thomas' research shows that 64%+ of missionary priests from India come from dominant caste backgrounds.  Based on chapters from my forthcoming book on Indian Catholic priests in Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota\, in this talk I discuss caste\, remittances\, and the intricacies of the R-1 religious worker visa.  \n\nSonja Thomas is a professor of women’s gender and sexuality studies at Colby College.  Her research focuses on gender\, race\, caste\, and Christianity in India and the U.S. She is the author of *Privileged Minorities: Syrian Christianity\, Gender\, and Minority Rights in Postcolonial India*. Her second book\, *Indians and Cowboys\, on Catholic priests from India in rural America*\, is forthcoming from University of Washington Press. She is an associate editor of *South Asia: The Journal of South Asian Studies*\, is a member of Waterville Maine's K-12 Social Justice and Equity group\, and is an appointed commissioner with Maine’s Permanent Commission on Racial\, Indigenous\, and Tribal Populations.\n\nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you\, please contact us. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.
UID:151111-21910881@events.umich.edu
URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/151111
CLASS:PUBLIC
STATUS:CONFIRMED
CATEGORIES:Asian Languages And Cultures,India,Religion,Religious Studies,South Asia,South Asian Studies
LOCATION:Weiser Hall - Room 555
CONTACT:
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