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Theme III

The Brahmin

The missionary construction of the Brahmin as the inventor and enforcer of the caste order, and Brahminism as a system of oppression.

Sub-Themes · 5

Brahmins as the Top of Hierarchical Order

The missionary portrayal of Brahmins as sitting atop a rigid hierarchical system, exercising dominance over all other castes.

1 missionary1 bureaucratic

Brahmins as Inventors of Caste Order

The claim that Brahmins deliberately created the caste system as a tool to maintain their supremacy.

1 missionary1 reform

Brahmin as Social Oppression

The Brahmin who enforces caste, prevents inter-dining, maintains social hierarchy through religious sanction.

1 missionary1 reform

Brahmin as Intellectual Antagonist

The Brahmin who debates the missionary, knows Sanskrit, refuses to be convinced — the primary intellectual adversary.

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Brahminism as a System

The invention of "Brahminism" as a distinct system of religious and social control, separate from Hinduism at large.

1 missionary1 reform
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