The tradition of orientalismOrientalism means knowledge or study about the laws, culture, history, societies, languages, etc. of a place, particularly of an eastern country like India.William JonesAppointed as a junior judge in the Supreme Court (Calcutta) in 1783.Expert in law & a Linguist (Greek, Latin, French, English, Arabic and Persian)Learn Sanskrit language grammar and poetry from Pandits.Studied the ancient Indian texts on Law, Philosophy, religion, politics, morality, arithmetic, medicine, etc.Together with H.T. Colebrook and N. Halhed, Jones set up the “Asiatic Society of Bengal” and started a journal “Asiatic Researches”ATTITUDE OF JONES & COLEBROOKE TOWARD INDIA A deep respect for both ancient cultures- India and the West.Indian civilization attained glory in the past but declined subsequentlyNecessary to know about the sacred & legal texts of the ancient period (Vedas, Manusmriti, etc.)- to understand India in a better way and for future development.In the process, the British would become not only the guardians of Indian culture but masters as well.Influence on Company OfficialsTo win the hearts of Indians & get respect to the alien rulers​British ought to promote Indian Learning rather than Western learning.Encourage the study of ancient Indian texts and teach Sanskrit & Persian literature and poetry.Hindus and Muslims ought to be taught what they are already familiar with, what they value and treasure, and not the subjects alien to them.Educational Institutions EstablishedA Madarsa was set up by Governor General Warren Hastings (1781) at Calcutta to promote the study of Arabic, Persian, and Islamic law Established a Hindu college in Benares in 1791 to encourage the study of ancient Sanskrit texts.Grave Errors of the East: Orientalists were criticized Criticized the Orientalist vision of learningThey pleaded that knowledge of the East was full of errors and unscientific thought.Eastern literature was non-serious and light-hearted.No use in encouraging the study of Arabic and Sanskrit language & literature.JAMES MILL: ATTACKED ORIENTALISTSConcepts like “win the hearts” and ‘rulers respect’ are vague and not at all importantThe aim of education ought to be - to give useful and practical educationIndians should be taught about the Scientific and Technical advancements that the West had made Thomas Babington MacaulaySharper attack on Orientalists.Regarded India as an uncivilized country.No match, no comparison between Eastern knowledge and Western knowledge“A single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of Indian and Arabic”Urged the British govt. to stop wasting money in promoting oriental learningEnglish Education Act 1935Following Macaulay’s approach, this act was passed.English- made the medium of instruction for higher education.Stopped the promotion of oriental institutions- Calcutta Madarsa and Hindu college Benares— “Temples of darkness”.English textbooks began to be produced for schools.Wood’s Dispatch: 1854Charles Wood (President of the Board of Directors of the company) in London issued an educational dispatch.Outlined the educational policy to be followed in India.Focused on practical benefits of European learning as opposed to oriental knowledge.

## The tradition of orientalism 1. **Orientalism** means knowledge or study about the laws, culture, history, societies, languages, etc. of a place, particularly of an eastern country like India. ### William Jones 1. Appointed as a junior judge in the Supreme Court (Calcutta) in 1783. 2. Expert in law & a Linguist (Greek, Latin, French, English, Arabic and Persian) 3. Learn Sanskrit language grammar and poetry from Pandits. 4. Studied the ancient Indian texts on Law, Philosophy, religion, politics, morality, arithmetic, medicine, etc. 5. Together with **H.T. Colebrook and N. Halhed, Jones** set up the “**Asiatic Society of Bengal**” and started a journal “**Asiatic Researches”** **ATTITUDE OF JONES & COLEBROOKE TOWARD INDIA** - A deep respect for both ancient cultures- India and the West. - Indian civilization attained glory in the past but declined subsequently - Necessary to know about the sacred & legal texts of the ancient period (Vedas, Manusmriti, etc.)- to understand India in a better way and for future development. - In the process, the British would become not only the guardians of Indian culture but masters as well. ### Influence on Company Officials To win the hearts of Indians & get respect to the alien rulers➖ 1. British ought to promote Indian Learning rather than Western learning. 2. Encourage the study of ancient Indian texts and teach Sanskrit & Persian literature and poetry. 3. Hindus and Muslims ought to be taught what they are already familiar with, what they value and treasure, and not the subjects alien to them. ### Educational Institutions Established 1. A Madarsa was set up by Governor General Warren Hastings (**1781**) **at Calcutta** to promote the study of Arabic, Persian, and Islamic law 2. Established a Hindu college in Benares in 1791 to encourage the study of ancient Sanskrit texts. ### Grave Errors of the East: Orientalists were criticized 1. Criticized the Orientalist vision of learning 2. They pleaded that knowledge of the East was full of errors and unscientific thought. 3. Eastern literature was non-serious and light-hearted. 4. No use in encouraging the study of Arabic and Sanskrit language & literature. **JAMES MILL: ATTACKED ORIENTALISTS** - Concepts like “win the hearts” and ‘rulers respect’ are vague and not at all important - The aim of education ought to be - to give useful and practical education - Indians should be taught about the Scientific and Technical advancements that the West had made ### Thomas Babington Macaulay 1. Sharper attack on Orientalists. 2. Regarded India as an uncivilized country. 3. No match, no comparison between Eastern knowledge and Western knowledge - “A single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of Indian and Arabic” - Urged the British govt. to stop wasting money in promoting oriental learning ### English Education Act 1935 1. Following Macaulay’s approach, this act was passed. 2. English- made the medium of instruction fo

In 1783, William Jones arrived in Calcutta who was a linguist.→ He had studied Greek and Latin at Oxford, knew French and English, Arabic and Persian.→ At Calcutta, he started learning Sanskrit language, grammar and poetry.→ Soon he was studying ancient Indian texts on law, philosophy, religion, politics, morality, arithmetic, medicine and the other sciences.

The passage below is accompanied by a question.Choose the best answer to the given question.Interpretations of the Indian past . . . were inevitably influenced by colonial concerns and interests, and also by prevalent European ideas about history, civilization and the Orient. Orientalist scholars studied the languages and the texts with selected Indian scholars, but made little attempt to understand the world-view of those who were teaching them. The readings therefore are something of a disjuncture from the traditional ways of looking at the Indian past. . . .Orientalism [which we can understand broadly as Western perceptions of the Orient] fuelled the fantasy and the freedom sought by European Romanticism, particularly in its opposition to the more disciplined Neo-Classicism. The cultures of Asia were seen as bringing a new Romantic paradigm. Another Renaissance was anticipated through an acquaintance with the Orient, and this, it was thought, would be different from the earlier Greek Renaissance. It was believed that this Oriental Renaissance would liberate European thought and literature from the increasing focus on discipline and rationality that had followed from the earlier Enlightenment. . . . [The Romantic English poets, Wordsworth and Coleridge,] were apprehensive of the changes introduced by industrialization and turned to nature and to fantasies of the Orient.However, this enthusiasm gradually changed, to conform with the emphasis later in the nineteenth century on the innate superiority of European civilization. Oriental civilizations were now seen as having once been great but currently in decline. The various phases of Orientalism tended to mould European understanding of the Indian past into a particular pattern. . . . There was an attempt to formulate Indian culture as uniform, such formulations being derived from texts that were given priority. The so-called ‘discovery’ of India was largely through selected literature in Sanskrit. This interpretation tended to emphasize non-historical aspects of Indian culture, for example the idea of an unchanging continuity of society and religion over 3,000 years; and it was believed that the Indian pattern of life was so concerned with metaphysics and the subtleties of religious belief that little attention was given to the more tangible aspects.German Romanticism endorsed this image of India, and it became the mystic land for many Europeans, where even the most ordinary actions were imbued with a complex symbolism. This was the genesis of the idea of the spiritual east, and also, incidentally, the refuge of European intellectuals seeking to distance themselves from the changing patterns of their own societies. A dichotomy in values was maintained, Indian values being described as ‘spiritual’ and European values as ‘materialistic’, with little attempt to juxtapose these values with the reality of Indian society. This theme has been even more firmly endorsed by a section of Indian opinion during the last hundred years.It was a consolation to the Indian intelligentsia for its perceived inability to counter the technical superiority of the west, a superiority viewed as having enabled Europe to colonize Asia and other parts of the world. At the height of anti-colonial nationalism it acted as a salve for having been made a colony of Britain.It can be inferred from the passage that to gain a more accurate view of a nation’s history and culture, scholars should do all of the following EXCEPT:Please select your Answer.Examine their own beliefs and biases.Develop an oppositional framework to grasp cultural differences.Examine the complex reality of that nation’s society.Read widely in the country’s literature.

“The Oriental Renaissance: Europe's Rediscovery of India and the East” is written by

What definition from B.G. Tilak did the Indian Supreme Court accept as a satisfactory definition of a Hindu?  (3 points)View keyboard shortcutsEditViewInsertFormatToolsTable12ptParagraph