The Themes
Six thematic patterns through which 19th-century missionaries constructed, critiqued, and sought to dismantle Hindu civilization — and their downstream impact through colonial policy and Indian reform movements.
Hinduism
The missionary construction of Hindu religion — image worship, superstition, ritualism, and moral corruption as core accusations.
Caste
The missionary understanding of caste as inseparable from Hinduism, the conflation of varna and jati, and caste as obstacle to conversion.
The Brahmin
The missionary construction of the Brahmin as the inventor and enforcer of the caste order, and Brahminism as a system of oppression.
Conversion Discourse
The conceptual framework missionaries imposed — heathen damnation, schools as conversion tools, Christianity as liberation and fulfillment.
The Civilizing Mission
The broader missionary claim to be agents of civilization — moral character, degenerate civilization, reason vs. superstition, social reforms.
Knowledge and Classification of Indians
The missionary and colonial project of categorizing, classifying, and producing knowledge about Indian society — inventing caste categories, racial frameworks, textualizing traditions.