The Language of Disenchantment. Protestant Literalism and Colonial Discourse in British India.

Yelle, Robert A.

ISBN 10: 0199925011 / ISBN 13: 9780199925018

Published by Oxford University Press Inc, 2012

About this Item

The Language of Disenchantment explores how Protestant ideas about language inspired British colonial critiques of Hindu mythological, ritual, linguistic, and legal traditions. Series: AAR Reflection and Theory in the Study of Religion Series. Num Pages: 320 pages. BIC Classification: 1FKA; 3JH; 3JJ; HBTQ; HRAX; HRCC9; HRCX7. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 234 x 156 x 21. Weight in Grams: 428. . 2012. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780199925018

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Language of Disenchantment. Protestant Literalism and Colonial Discourse in British India.
• Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199925011
• ISBN 13: 9780199925018
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

The Language of Disenchantment explores the ways in which Protestant ideas concerning language influenced British colonial attitudes toward and proposals to reform Hinduism. Protestant literalism, mediated by the textual economy of the printed book, inspired colonial critiques of Indian mythological, ritual, linguistic, and legal traditions. Central to these developments was the transportation of the Christian opposition of monotheism and polytheism or idolatry into the domain of language. Polemics against verbal idolatry that had been applied previously to Catholic and sectarian practices in Britain -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-were applied by colonialists to Indian linguistic practices. In order to remedy these diseases of language, the British attempted to standardize and codify Indian 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 uncovering the historical roots of the British re-ordering of South Asian discourses, Yelle's work challenges representations of colonialism, and the modernity that it ushered in, as simply rational or secular.

About the Author

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.