Language as Identity in Colonial India Policies and Politics
This book is a systematic narrative, tracking the colonial language policies and acts responsible for the creation of a sense of “self-identity” and culminating in the evolution of nationalistic fervor in colonial India. British policy on language for adm
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Papia Sengupta
Language as Identity in Colonial India
“The Indian awakening, our distinctive path to independence as Sengupta recalls, envisaged quilts of interwoven languages expressing a rich, multi-textured landscape. British rule used tools of colonial enumeration like the census to compartmentalize Indians into sharply separated languages and religions along Westphalian lines. Naive nationalistic unity-mongering today – Sengupta argues – inadvertently reinforces colonial compartmentalization, losing sight of that very landscape we must cherish and strengthen to achieve the uniquely Indian take-off we are destined for. A compelling argument.” —Prof. Probal Dasgupta, Head, Linguistics, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata “Papia Sengupta draws our attention to a very serious concern as how non-recognition of linguistic identity can become a source of discrimination, violence, harassment and torture. It is this action of submerging the diversity and plurality that brings in chaos and disturbance in Indian society. Her book may serve as a wakeup call to the Indian administration which is happy to forget that the strongest ecosystems in the world are those which are most diverse.” —Prof. Anvita Abbi (Padma Shri), Adjunct Professor, Simon Fraser University, B.C. Vancouver, Canada “Multilingualism has been a long-standing characteristic of Indian society, and its persistence during the post-colonial era is not surprising. What is surprising though is the transformation in the Indian sense of identity, the nation's self-perception, during the colonial period. Dr. Sengupta's well documented study reveals the sequential emergence of the linguistically embedded sense of identity brings home the new burden that language is brought to carry in the nation-India. A systematically presented argument, proposing a compelling thesis, this work is a must-read for every scholar interested in Indian nationalism and Indian multilingualism.” —Prof. G N Devy, Chair, People's Linguistic Survey of India
“Papia Sengupta’s Language as Identity in Colonial India explores the consequences of linguistic policies from the early history of the East India Company to the present. It unfolds the multi-faceted effects of governmental action in refusing linguistic recognition, from small tribes to peoples across wide regions, which have inflicted psychological damage to individuals and economic inequality across states. This ambitious work analyzes the driving forces of language policies shaping the history and society of the Indian subcontinent.” —Samuel Cohn, Professor of History, University of Glasgow; Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Advance Studies at Edinburgh, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Papia Sengupta
Language as Identity in Colonial India Policies and Politics
Papia Sengupta Centre for Political Studies Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi, Delhi, India
ISBN 978-981-10-6843-0 ISBN 978-981-10-6844-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6844-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017958852 © The Edit
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