Parsi and Hindu Traditional and Nontraditional Responses to Christian Conversion in Bombay, 1839-45

Author: Palsetia, Jesse S.

Source: Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Volume 74, Number 3, September 2006 , pp. 615-645(31)

Publisher: Oxford University Press

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Abstract:

This article examines two celebrated cases of the conversion of Indian youths to Christianity by missionaries in Bombay: the case of Dhanjibhai Nauroji of 1839 and the case of Shripat Sheshadri of 1843. The cases were precedents in Indians challenging Christian conversion by way of the law courts, and highlight the adaptive responses of the Parsi and Hindu communities of Bombay and western India to Christian proselytism, and the attractions and challenges of the larger colonial environment to Indians' ability to regulate and safeguard their community and caste norms. The article argues that in response to Christian proselytism and colonial power and ideology, Indians utilized traditional and nontraditional mechanisms that ultimately led to challenges, accommodations, and reassessments of Indians' place under the ideological framework of colonialism.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfj001

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