Date of Award
6-1993
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Religion
Supervisor
P. Younger
Abstract
This thesis is a study of the patterns of change within Sri Lankan Tamil tradition, with a particular focus on the nineteenth century. It endeavours to accomplish two things. First, by the examination of colonial Sri Lanka against a detailed consideration of the pre-existins society and culture, the thesis shows that the colonial period, far from being one of great change and disjunction with the past, in fact experienced a very gradual course of social change which was facilitated by the widespread incorporation of traditional structures that gave colonial society a much needed stability and a peaceful environment where trade and commerce could prosper. Secondly, by taking this approach, the thesis demonstrates that the nineteenth century Anglo-Saxon Protestant missionaries eventually fell into the traditional role of sannyasins, a role, as this work shows, that had been adopted by the Jain mendicants and the Buddhist bhikkhus who had preceded them. The thesis first demonstrates that the sannyasin, although in a fundamental sense an enemy of caste, having turned his or her back on caste society, has nevertheless deeply influenced Hindu society, particularly when organized as a community of renouncers. The thesis then goes on to argue that the Protestant sannyasins likewise, in the establishment of male and female boarding schools, advocated a form of communal renunciation, which contributed to the formation of a parallel society alongside the caste society, and which became instrumental in initiating many changes within Tamil culture in Sri Lanka.
Recommended Citation
Hoole, Charles R.A., "Modern sannyasins, parallel society and Hindu replications: A study of the Protestant contribution to Tamil culture in nineteenth century Sri Lanka against a historical background" (1993). Open Access Dissertations and Theses. Paper 3874.
http://digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca/opendissertations/3874