Full Description
Conversion in India should not be narrowed down to an individual moment of divine grace or a Gandhian change of heart. It is closely linked with the social aspirations of groups that suffer from discrimination and oppression. Since religion is supposed to cover all aspects of life, the author argues that for untouchable caste communities a change of religion may serve as an idiom of social mobility, in some respects closely resembling the more general process of Sanskritization.
From the beginning of the nineteenth century the Christian missionaries' preachings attracted a large number of poor untouchables who tended to understand the Gospel in terms of their immediate needs and interests. These missionaries were in search of 'pure' converts and often felt disappointed when they found that material considerations played a large part in conversion movements. However, learning by experience they came to show a growing awareness that concern for the material welfare of the people constituted a legitimate part of their calling.
The book analyses the confrontation between Evangelical missionaries from Victorian England and low caste communities in the Hindu social order, in the social setting of Travancore, an Indian native state tucked away in the south-west corner of the Indian peninsula. However, the problems like social stratification and cultural change dealt with by the author in the book concern a much wider field than Travancore or India alone.
The author has used an impressive amount of missionary source material hitherto largely unexplored, both in England and India.
Contents
List of Tables, Maps and Pictures vii
Preface ix
I. Introduction
1. The Problem 1
2. The Source Material 4
3. The Research Questions 7
II. A Short History Of Travancore
1. Society And Religion 13
2. Political Events 20
III. Colonialism And Missionary Activity
1. The Company's Charters 26
2. The London Missionaries' Backgrounds 32
3. Personal Strains And Conflicts 44
IV. Missionary Advance In Travancore
1. Entering The State 52
2. Districts And Agency 59
3. The Local Response 69
4. Material And Immaterial Considerations 79
V. EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
1. Village Schools 87
2. The Nagercoil Seminary 95
3. Employment Opportunities 100
4. The Commercial Value Of Language 109
6. Emergence Of Coffee Plantations
Politics of Travancore Government 117
Foreign Planters 124
Indian Participation 127
Labour Questions and Cooly Mission 135
7 The Fight Against Civil Disabilities
The Threat of Annexation 144
The Dress Controversies 148
Socio-Economic Backgrounds of the Conflicts 154
Interpretations 160
8 Conversiton And Cultural Change
Perception of Change 168
Remaining Caste Feeling 172
Problems About Marriages 178
The Influence of Folk Religion 185
The Observance of the Sabbath Day 193
9 Conclusion 197
Glossary 220
Bibliography 222
Index 231
