Book Review, Demography - Sunday, March 11, 2007 5:09 - 3 Comments

‘The Syrian Christians of Kerala, Demographic and Socio-Economic Transition In The Twentieth Century’ by K. C. Zachariah

Note About the Author

Dr K C Zachariah is Honorary Fellow with Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram . He has published number of books about demographic studies and transition. He is also the Principal author of the United Nations Manual on Internal Migration which was published under the auspices of the United Nations. ¹

Overview

During the twentieth century, the Syrian Christian population of Kerala underwent a process of transition in its demographic transition in terms of size, composition, and growth rates of the Christian population in general and the Syrian Christian population in particular. It goes on to study the growth of the Christian population in Kerala in the context of the growth of the Christian population in India. The underlying demographic factors of transition-fertility, mortality, and migration-are analysed in detail. It describes the socio-economic transition of the Syrian Christians as seen in their education level, employment status, and material possessions. The discussions are carried out in a comparative setting, where corresponding changes that have come about in other communities-Hindus, Muslims, and Latin Christians-are also examined. The book concludes by drawing attention to projected demographic trends and their likely impact on the community. It suggests the need for some introspection by the Syrian Christians to cope with the adverse fall-out of the emerging trends. Continue…

1. http://www.saneinetwork.net/pdf/researchers/K_C_Zachariah.pdf [↩]