Mission and Tamil Society; Social and Religious Change in South India (1840-1900)

238 Pages·1994·8.829 MB·English

by  Henriette Bugge

MISSION
AND TAMIL
SOCIETY
Social and Religious Change
in South India
(1840-1900)
Henriette Bugge
\
J RoutledgeCurzon
3 Taylor&.FrancisGroup
LONDONAND NEWYORK
NordicInstitute ofAsianStudies
MonographSeries,No.65
RoutledgeCurzon,
First published1994 by
St.John'sStudios,ChurchRoad
Richmond,Surrey TW9 2QA
Transferredto Digital Printing2005
ISBN0-7007-0292-X
Allrights reserved
©HenrietteBugge1994
BritishLibraryCataloguein PublicationData
ACIP cataloguerecord for thisbook
isavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
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Contents
List of Maps............................................................................................vii
List ofFigures.......................................................................................viii
List of Tables.........................................................................................viii
Acknowledgements...............................................................................ix
Introductory Note.................................................................................xii
Approach to theStudy............................................................................1
TheArea: SouthArcot District...........................................................13
GeographicalFeatures.......................................................................13
DivineKingship..................................................................................15
Warrior Kings......................................................................................18
Arcot underMuslimRule.................................................................21
The ColonialAdministration...........................................................27
TheThirdZone...................................................................................32
The Missionary Societies.....................................................................41
PortugueseandJesuits......................................................................41
Societedes MissionsEtrang&resdeParis......................................50
TheFirstProtestant Missions...........................................................56
The DanishMissionarySociety.......................................................64
The Central Issues...............................................................................71
The Intermediaries: Native Priests and Catechists......................79
The Organizational Framework......................................................79
TheRecruitmentofCatechistsandNativeClergy.....................82
TheEducationof theCatechistsand NativePriests...................88
TheQuestionofLeadership.............................................................96
Maintaining Church Discipline.......................................................Ill
The Conceptof Sin............................................................................112
TheMeans ofControl.......................................................................116
ReligiousProcessions......................................................................123
Sufferingand Possession................................................................130
Missionaries and Mass Movements..............................................142
The MassMovements.....................................................................142
TheAreaof the DMSMass Movements......................................146
Changesin the Urukoilurarea......................................................154
Reactionsto Change.........................................................................156
TheDanishMissionariesandtheMass Movements................161
TheAreaoftheMEPMassMovements......................................167
Changesin the AreaofMEP MassMovements........................169
TheFrench Mission andthe MassMovements.........................173
Conclusion..............................................................................................185
Glossary..................................................................................................191
Sources and References.....................................................................193
UnpublishedSources.......................................................................193
PrintedSources.................................................................................195
MagazinesandJournals..................................................................197
Missionary Conferences..................................................................197
Missionary Tracts, Memoirs,etc....................................................198
Monographs andArticles...............................................................200
Index........................................................................................................215
List ofMaps
1:South Indiain theNineteenth Century.......................................xiii
2: SouthArcotTaluqs c. 1870................................................................13
3: Average AnnualRainfallin SouthArcot.......................................14
4: Main RiversofSouthArcot..............................................................16
5: ApproximateDistributionofBrahmins 1871................................17
6: Areaunderthe NawabofArcot......................................................23
7: Extentof the Archdioceseof PondicherryAfterthe 1846
Reorganization....................................................................................53
8: MEPMissionStations 1885 ..............................................................55
9: DMSMissionStations 1910..............................................................70
10: Area ofMEPMass Conversions.................................................145
11:Major InamsinSouthArcot, 1871..............................................152
List ofFigures
1: DistributionofCastes,1871............................................................147
2:Cropping PatternbyTaluq,1891..................................................148
3:Percentageof Land UnderInam inSouthArcot,1891..............153
List ofTables
1: NativePriestsintheServiceofthe MEP, 1788-1890................... 83
2: BackgroundoftheDMSCatechists,1870-1915 .......................... 84
3: OccupationalDistribution, 1901....................................................150
4: Mobilityin the DMS Congregations- Siloam,Urukoilur
station, 1889-1920............................................................................166
5: Mobilityin the DMS Congregations- Bethanienand Emmaus,
MelpattambakkamandNellikuppamstations, 1891-1920 ...171
6: MobilityintheDMS Congregations- Saron,Uruvannamalai
station, 1892-1920............................................................................172
7: Mobility in the DMSCongregations- Karmel,Uruvannamalai
station, 1901-1915............................................................................173
Acknowledgements
This isabookaboutchangingreligiousidentitiesinaperiodofprofound
social andeconomic changeinSouth India. Tryingto combinecultural
history witheconomic history, thehistoryofideas withthehistory of
power relations, not to speak of combining the three disciplines of
history, anthropologyandthehistoryofreligions, of coursemakesfor
manypitfalls. I havebeenveryluckyin receiving thekindassistanceof
anumberof giftedindividuals whohavesavedmefrommanyerrors.
Duringmyyears asahistorystudentattheUniversityofCopenhagen,
I wasfortunate tohave Benedicte Hjejle asmyteacher inIndianhistory.
She taught me the importance of perserverance and of relying on a
thoroughexaminationofthe source materials ratherthanindulging in
flights ofunsubstantiatedfantasies. ProfessorNiels Steensgaard, who
acted as my supervisor for my Ph.D. thesis, taught me to view my
questionsandanswersinthebroaderframeworkofthelonghistoryof
theEuropeanexpansion. During the year I spentat theCenterfor South
andSoutheast AsianStudiesat theUniversityofMichigan, Ann Arbor,
NicholasDirksactedasmysupervisor.Heintroducedmetothefascinating
researchfieldofpower andritual,whichgavemeawhole newangle to
the study ofChristian missions. Nobody could have wished for more
enthusiastic, inspiringandsupportiveteachers thanthesethree.
The workitselfwasbegunin1986-87whenI became amemberofthe
groupofscholarsbeing assignedtothe initiative, ‘Christian Missions
and Cultural Policy, 1820-1975’, sponsored by the Danish Research
Council for the Humanities. The chairman of the initiative, Professor
Eduard Nielsen, was from the start very positive about my proposed
project, evenintheperiodswhenI myself haddoubtsandmisgivings.
For thatmoralsupport,asmuchasfor theeconomicsupporthemagically
provided,I amdeeplygrateful.
Asalreadymentioned, in 1987-88 I spentayearinAnn Arboratthe
Centerfor SouthandSoutheast AsianStudies. This was afruitful and
inspiringmeetingplace forscholarsfromawiderangeofdisciplines and
thebestplace tobeforastudentofIndianhistory. I amgratefultothe
Danish Research Academy for granting me the funds to make this
sojournpossible.