The impact of British orientalism on Hindu social reforms
Author(s): Rajeshwari Sharma
Abstract: Orientalism is a particular type of representation which is happening in the literature which represents Orient in a stereotypical fashion. Orientalism also means set up of institutions that propagate these kinds of ideas. Only in the second quarter of the nineteenth century did the term "Hinduism" become widely used in English, primarily in works by British authors. This paper will argue that western orientalism had a huge influence on the construction of the image of modern Hinduism. This paper also does not ignore the role played by indigenous Brahamanical ideology in the formation of early orientalist representation of modern Hinduism. It will discuss in details the social reforms introduced in the nineteenth century by various social reformers and the impact it had on the Indian society. It also tries to explain how different sections of the society experienced these reform movements differently. This paper will also discuss the difference between westernization and modernization very briefly. This paper relies on qualitative data accumulated from secondary sources of sociological and political research related to Orientalism and Hinduism. It will study the Hindu social reform movement thoroughly and explain how British orientalism had a huge impact on the Hindu social reform movement of the nineteenth century.
Rajeshwari Sharma. The impact of British orientalism on Hindu social reforms. Int J Political Sci Governance 2024;6(2):332-334. DOI: 10.33545/26646021.2024.v6.i2e.407
