The Language of Disenchantment: Protestant Literalism and Colonial Discourse in British India (AAR Reflection and Theory in the Study of Religion)

Yelle, Robert A.

ISBN 10: 0199925011 / ISBN 13: 9780199925018

Edité par Oxford University Press (edition 1), 2012

A propos de cet article

It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.

N° de réf. du vendeur 0199925011-8-1

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The Language of Disenchantment: Protestant Literalism and Colonial Discourse in British India (AAR Reflection and Theory in the Study of Religion)
• Éditeur: Oxford University Press (edition 1)
• Date de parution: 2012
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0199925011
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780199925018
• Reliure: Paperback
• Édition: 1.
• État de l'article: Very Good

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

The Language of Disenchantment explores how Protestant ideas about language influenced British colonial attitudes toward Hinduism and proposals for the reform of that tradition. Protestant literalism, mediated by a new textual economy of the printed book, inspired colonial critiques of Indian mythological, ritual, linguistic, and legal traditions. Central to these developments was the transposition of the Christian opposition between monotheism and polytheism or idolatry into the domain of language. Polemics against verbal idolatry - including the elevation of a scriptural canon over heathenish custom, the attack on the personifications of mythological language, and the critique of "vain repetitions" in prayers and magic spells - previously applied to Catholic and sectarian practices in Britain were now applied by colonialists to Indian linguistic practices. As a remedy for these diseases of language, the British attempted to standardize and codify Hindu traditions as a step toward both Anglicization and Christianization. The colonial understanding of a perfect language as the fulfillment of the monotheistic ideal echoed earlier Christian myths according to which the Gospel had replaced the obscure discourses of pagan oracles and Jewish ritual. By recovering the historical roots of the British re-ordering of South Asian discourses in Protestantism, Yelle challenges representations of colonialism, and of the modernity that it ushered in, as simply rational or secular.

À propos de l?auteur

Robert A. Yelle is Assistant Professor in the Department of History and the Helen Hardin Honors Program at the University of Memphis. He received a Ph.D. in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago. A former Guggenheim Fellow, he is the author of Explaining the Mantras and The Semiotics of Religion, and co-author of After Secular Law.