The silent missionary: the role of the Bible in the cultural conquest of India, 1804 —1904

Kocheri Clement, Sam Antony (2021). The silent missionary: the role of the Bible in the cultural conquest of India, 1804 —1904. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

The thesis, “The Silent Missionary: The Role of the Bible in the Cultural Conquest of India, 1804 – 1904” examines the interplay between religious and spiritual change and material culture in colonial contexts, based on the case-study of the acculturation process implemented in British India through the Bible as the bringer of a new regime of Truth, a spiritual Talisman and as a channel for intellectual and socio-cultural Tyranny. It examines the role of the Bible as a physical entity in the missionary work. It suggests the need for a dramatic shift of concentration on the material artefacts employed by the missionaries in the mission field and addresses the central beliefs of the 19th century that orbited around the Bible which enthroned the Bible to be a Talisman. The project brings out the exact number of copies of the Bible that were printed and published in India during the 19th century and provides an understanding about the deep faith the missionaries had in Bible in culturally transforming the native population of India. Along with these significant focuses, the research also addresses the use of the Bible in the missionary classrooms, and a chapter is dedicated to the translation efforts of the missionaries. Whilst the chapter based on education examines the role of the Bible in becoming a - sureveilext - a book that was used for shape and prune the moral consciousness of the young minds of the indigenous population, the chapter on translation looks into the various missionary point of views in the efforts on translation.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):