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{{Short description| | {{Short description|Opposition to Brahminism}} | ||
'''Anti-Brahminism''' is | '''Anti-Brahminism''' or '''Non-Brahminism''' is a movement in opposition to caste based discrimination and hierarchical social order which places [[Brahmins]] at its highest position.{{sfn|Rao|2009|p=49}}<ref group=web name=Bhargava/> Initial expressions of Anti-Brahminism emerged from instances of pre-colonial opposition to the caste system, ideological influences during the colonial period,{{sfn|Novetzke|2011}} and from a colonialist Protestant Christian understanding of religion in the 19th century, which viewed "[[Brahminism]]" as a corrupted religion imposed on the Indian population.{{sfn|Gelders|Delders|2003}} Reformist Hindus, but also Ambedkar, structured their criticism along similar lines following the 19th century criticism of "Brahminism,"{{sfn|Gelders|Delders|2003}} opposing the dominant position Brahmins had acquired by the time of British rule in the 19th century. | ||
== | ==Definitions== | ||
"Brahminism" refers both to the historical [[Brahminism|Brahmanical tradition and ideology]] of the late [[Vedic period]] (ca.1100-500 BCE), as to | |||
{{quote|...a sociopolitical ideology that encodes a memory of an ideal past and a vision of society in the future, one in which Brahmins occupy the highest place [...] their superior position in society and their superior knowledge stems from birth. This makes them naturally, intrinsically superior to all other humans [...] Brahmanism then is the most perfect form of conservatism, a status quoist ideology par excellence, entirely suitable to elites who wish to perpetuate their social status, power and privilege.<ref group=web name=Bhargava/>}} | |||
[[ | "Anti-Brahminism" or "Non-Brahminism" is a movement in opposition to caste based discrimination and hierarchical social order which places [[Brahmins]] at its highest position.{{sfn|Rao|2009|p=49}}<ref group=web name=Bhargava/> [[B. R. Ambedkar]] stated: | ||
{{quote|By Brahmanism, I do not mean the power, privileges and interests of Brahmins as a community. That is not the sense in which I am using the word. By Brahmanism, I mean the negation of the spirit of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.<ref group=web>K.V. Aditya Bharadwaj (july 2, 2021), [https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/police-action-over-actor-chetan-kumars-remarks-sparks-row-in-karnataka/article35100813.ece Police action over actor Chetan Kumar’s remarks sparks row in Karnataka], The Hindu</ref>}} | |||
==History== | |||
===Pre-Colonial times=== | |||
According to Novetzke, initial expressions of Anti-Brahminism emerged from instances of pre-colonial opposition to the caste system, ideological influences during the colonial period.{{sfn|Novetzke|2011}} | |||
{{ | === 19th century colonialism === | ||
{{expand section|date=July 2021}} | |||
According to Gelders and Delders, the structure of present-day anti-Brahminism has its roots in 19th century India and colonial views on the position and influence of Brahmins. 19th century colonial rulers viewed India's culture as corrupt and degenerate, and its population irrational. In this view, derived from a Protestant Christian understanding of religion, rooted in the Protestant opposition against the Catholic Church, the original "God-given religion" was corrupted by (Catholic) priests, which was extended by comparison to the Brahmins in India, and the Brahmin-dominated type of [[Hinduism]], for which the term "[[Brahminism]]" was used, was supposedly imposed on the Indian population.{{sfn|Gelders|Delders|2003}} | |||
===20th century=== | |||
In the late 19th and early 20th century, with the rise of nationalist and rationalist movements, criticism against Brahminism came from both Brahmins and from low-caste Hindu communities. Reformist Hindus, but also Ambedkar, structured their criticism along similar lines following the 19th century criticism of "Brahminism."{{sfn|Gelders|Delders|2003}} | |||
{{ | According to Beteille, in Tamil Nadu the traditional position of Brahmins had been enforced with the beginning of British rule, profiting from western education and turning to an urban lifestyle.{{sfn|Breteille|1969|p=209}} They monopolized the new urban jobs and entered the Indian Civil Service, gaining strongholds in government nd bureaucracy,{{sfn|Breteille|1969|p=209}} and also dominated the Congress Party.{{sfn|Breteille|1969|p=210}} This widened the gap between Brahmins and non-Brahmins, but opposition quickly mounted.{{sfn|Breteille|1969|p=210}} Anti-Brahminism became organized in the formation of the ''Justice Party'' in late 1916 in Tamil Nadu. This party, composed of non-Brahmins who were typically [[feudal]] castes, land-owning agricultural castes and merchant castes and was committed to enhancing the opportunities for non-Brahmins.{{sfn|Clothey|2006}} The [[Reddy]]s, [[Mudaliar]]s, are specific examples of South Indian non-Brahmin castes that were involved in the anti-Brahminism movement for about 50 years.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} With the dawn of the 20th century, and the rapid penetration of western education and western ideas, there was a rise in consciousness amongst the lower castes who felt that rights which were legitimately theirs were being denied to them.{{sfn|Breteille|1969|p=210}} In 1920, when the Justice Party came to power, Brahmins occupied about 70 percent of the high level posts in the government.<ref group=web>Tehelka (2006), [https://archive.today/20120918002111/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main17.asp?filename=Ne042206superiority.asp Superiority in Numbers]</ref> After reservation was introduced by the Justice Party, it reversed this trend, allowing non-Brahmins to rise in the government of the Madras Presidency.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} In the 1930s, anti-Brahmanism was disseminated among the masses by the [[Self-Respect Movement]].{{sfn|Breteille|1969|p=211}} | ||
One of the most prominent proponents of Anti-Brahminism was Dalit-leader [[B. R. Ambedkar]]. Another prominent proponent was Dravidian leader [[Periyar E. V. Ramasamy]]. Periyar called on both Brahmins and non-Brahmins to shun Brahmanism.{{sfn|Omvedt|2006|p=95}} | |||
== | == See also == | ||
* [[Caste-related violence in India]] | |||
* [[Reserved political positions in India]] | |||
* [[Caste politics]] | |||
* [[Reservations in India]] | |||
== References == | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
== | ==Sources== | ||
;Printed sources | |||
{{refbegin}} | |||
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* {{Citation | last =Beteille | first =Andre | year =1969 | title =Caste, Class, and Power | publisher =University of California Press}} | |||
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* {{Citation | last =Clothey | first =Fred W. | year =2006 | title =Ritualizing on the Boundaries: Continuity and Innovation in the Tamil Diaspora | publisher =Univ of South Carolina Press}} | |||
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* {{Citation | last1 =Gelders | first1 =Raf | last2 =Delders | first2 =Willem | year =2003 | title =Mantras of Anti-Brahmanism: Colonial Experience of Indian Intellectuals | journal =Economic and Political Weekly |volume=38 |issue=43 |pages=4611–4617 | doi = | jstor =4414197 | url =https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262123666}} | |||
<!-- K --> | |||
* {{cite book|first1=Karine|last1=Schomer|first2=W. H.|last2=McLeod|title=The Sants: Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India|year=1987|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=9788120802773}} | |||
<!-- N --> | |||
* {{Cite journal|last=Novetzke|first=Christian Lee|date=2011-03-23|title=The Brahmin double: the Brahminical construction of anti-Brahminism and anti-caste sentiment in the religious cultures of precolonial Maharashtra|journal=South Asian History and Culture|volume=2|issue=2|pages=232–252|doi=10.1080/19472498.2011.553494|s2cid=144806307|issn=1947-2498|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/19472498.2011.553494}} | |||
<!-- O --> | |||
* {{Cite book| last =Omvedt | first =Gail | year =2006 | title=Dalit Visions: The Anti-caste Movement and the Construction on an Indian Identity | publisher =Orient Longman | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=kCwpXZlKqL0C|isbn=978-81-250-2895-6|access-date=17 January 2018}} | |||
<!-- R --> | |||
* {{Cite book | last =Rao | first =Anupama | year =2009 | title =The Caste Question: Dalits and the Politics of Modern India | publisher =[[University of California Press]] | isbn =978-0-520-25761-0 | language =en}} | |||
{{refend}} | |||
;Web-sources | |||
{{reflist|group=web|refs= | |||
<!-- Bhargava --> | |||
<ref group=web name=Bhargava>{{Cite news|last=Bhargava|first=Rajeev|author-link=Rajeev Bhargava|date=2019-07-23|title=What does it mean to oppose Brahmanism?|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/what-does-it-mean-to-oppose-brahmanism/article28658412.ece|access-date=2021-07-23|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> | |||
== | }} | ||
== | ==Further reading== | ||
* Politics and Social Conflict in South India, the Non-Brahman Movement and Tamil Separatism, 1916–1929. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969. By Prof. Eugene Irschik | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
*''[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/punes-endless-identity-wars/734020/ Pune’s endless identity wars]'' by Rakshit Sonawane, ''[[The Indian Express]]'', January 6, 2011. | * ''[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/punes-endless-identity-wars/734020/ Pune’s endless identity wars]'' by Rakshit Sonawane, ''[[The Indian Express]]'', January 6, 2011. | ||
* [http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/may/23franc.htm Editorial by Francois Gautier on anti-Brahmanism] | * [http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/may/23franc.htm Editorial by Francois Gautier on anti-Brahmanism] | ||