ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 introduces the topic of the Thomas Christians and their experience with colonization during the early modern period. This chapter emphasizes the definition of colonialism based on four key elements: power, theft, injustice, and discourse. It delves into the identity of the Thomas Christians and their nonviolent resistance to colonization, ultimately proposing their freedom struggle as a precursor to Gandhian nonviolence. The significance of studying the Thomas Christians lies in the understanding it offers on the relationship between Christianity and colonialism. To gain a nuanced and complex understanding of the nonviolent freedom struggle of the Thomas Christians from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, the chapter suggests the use of microhistory and discourse analysis as an appropriate methodology. This methodology provides fresh insights into a neglected and poorly understood aspect of Indian history.
