Urdu as a Print Language: A Study of Identity Construction in British India

Urdu became the language of printing and publication in British India. This led to a number of social changes which also had political repercussions. The first was that a large number of Islamic material was printed which sharpened and hardened polarized religious identities and increased the consci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scrutiny (Islamabad) 2011-01, Vol.5/6, p.97
Main Author: Rahman, Tariq
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Colonialism
Education
Language
Muslims
Religion
Studies
Textbooks
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Urdu became the language of printing and publication in British India. This led to a number of social changes which also had political repercussions. The first was that a large number of Islamic material was printed which sharpened and hardened polarized religious identities and increased the consciousness of identities as being indexed to religion. Paradoxically, however, this also reduced the significance of the traditional ulemas' interpretation of Islam and created several centres of power as far as the interpretation of religion was concerned. This consciousness of religious identities fed into the political mobilization of Muslim and Hindu identities which brought about the partition of India and the legacy of antagonism which survives to this day.
ISSN:0377-5143