Writing as a Non-Hindu Indian: J.E. Sanjana and the Caste Question
This paper is an invitation to the life and work of Jahangir Edalji Sanjana (14th May 1880 - 17th January 1964) - a Parsi scholar, literary critic, columnist and translator - active during the first half of the 20th century. This article takes you through the key features of his writings on caste an...
| Published in: | Nidān |
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| Authors: | ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Univ.
2022
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| In: |
Nidān
Year: 2022, Volume: 7, Issue: 1, Pages: 103-114 |
| Further subjects: | B
Congress
B Gandhi B Nationalism B Religion B Ambedkar B Caste |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | This paper is an invitation to the life and work of Jahangir Edalji Sanjana (14th May 1880 - 17th January 1964) - a Parsi scholar, literary critic, columnist and translator - active during the first half of the 20th century. This article takes you through the key features of his writings on caste and untouchability - pausing intermittently to discuss a few associated concerns. One may question the relevance of Sanjana’s writings for our times or even the need to go back to a ‘little-known’ scholar of the late colonial period. We argue that Sanjana’s public interventions are a window to the dynamic conversations on caste, religion and nationalism in the closing decades of the British era, and the dawn of Indian Independence. Sanjana was a minor figure in this dialogue, yet in his writings we see the twists and turns of the caste question (as played out in Bombay Presidency) in meticulous detail. He bears witness to this debate as a non-Hindu Indian, and as a cynical outsider, to use his own words. We can thus place him among modern rationalists who wanted to lift the question of caste and religion from the abyss of sentimentality. In doing so, we see Sanjana advocate the autonomy of minorities, especially ‘Untouchables’. |
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| ISSN: | 2414-8636 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Nidān
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.58125/nidan.2022.1 |