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Question: Is there a pre-colonization “Indian” culture? I’m thinking not. The British unified disparate cultures, kingdoms, and races for ease of administration
by aparsons 6y ago
Question: Is there a pre-colonization “Indian” culture? I’m thinking not. The British unified disparate cultures, kingdoms, and races for ease of administration/exploitation. The country is so large - but more importantly- so different, that I don’t see how these tensions will disappear anytime soon.
- vakataka 6y agoReally? Then how did Hinduism develop over the entire subcontinent? Isn't that the Indian culture? The British did the opposite of uniting. They just ruled over the entire country.
- aparsons 6y agoReligion vs culture is a subtle but important difference. Religiously, India is not very diverse, but culturally- that is, along ethic, language and racial lines - it is probably the most diverse country in the world. I never claimed the Brits united India culturally (except perhaps over a shared hatred of the colonizer?), but rather administratively (which continues today)
- selimthegrim 6y agoThere is literal process studied by sociologists called Brahmanization where local elites were coopted and admitted to caste