Religious transactions in colonial south India
language, translation, and the making of Protestant identity
Hephzibah Israel
269 pages | ~7 hrs
Religious transactions in colonial south India
language, translation, and the making of Protestant identity
By Hephzibah Israel
This scholarly exploration delves into the fascinating intersection of faith, language, and cultural identity in colonial South India. Hephzibah Israel examines how Protestant communities emerged and defined themselves through the complex process of translating sacred texts into Tamil, revealing how spiritual transformation occurs within broader social and political contexts.
The book investigates the profound challenges missionaries faced when bringing biblical texts into Tamil literary traditions, showing how translation became far more than a linguistic exercise. Israel uncovers three critical areas where conflicts arose: establishing appropriate sacred vocabulary, navigating the politics surrounding standardized versions, and determining how to categorize religious genres within Tamil culture.
What makes this work particularly compelling is its demonstration of how caste affiliations, language choices, and translation decisions intertwined to shape emerging Protestant identities. Rather than viewing the Tamil Bible as simply a religious text, Israel presents it as a dynamic cultural artifact that both influenced and was influenced by the communities that embraced it.
For readers interested in understanding how spiritual movements adapt to local contexts, this book offers valuable insights into the complex negotiations between tradition and transformation. It reveals how religious communities navigate competing cultural forces while establishing their distinctive identities, providing a nuanced perspective on faith's relationship with language, society, and power structures in colonial settings.
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore HISTORY / Asia / India & South Asia
- ✓ Explore HISTORY / Social History
- ✓ Explore History
- ✓ Explore Style
- ✓ Explore Translating
- ✓ Study Bible from spiritual perspective
- ✓ Explore RELIGION / Christian Church / History
- ✓ Explore Protestantism
Topics
Details
- Published
- 2011
- Publisher
- Palgrave Macmillan
- ISBN-13
- 9780230105621
- ISBN-10
- 0230105629
- Pages
- 269
- Language
- EN
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