Idioms of improvement : Vidyāsāgar and cultural encounter in Bengal

Product Description A brahmin scholar in training and appearance, Isvarachandra Vidyasagar was also a prominent social and educational reformer. This book situates his worldview within the context of colonialism in Bengal. Hatcher traces Vidyasagar's development from his origins in rural Bengal, through his education in Calcutta, to his work promoting and improving vernacular education. He goes on to analyze Vidyasagar's school-book pedagogy in terms of the convergence of European bourgeois morality and Sanskritic norms of world improvement. Hatcher concludes by exploring the socio-religious dimensions of Vidyasagar's worldview, especially as it relates to the reform work of the Brahmo Samaj. Review "Any library with works on Rammuhan Roy or the Tagores needs this one, too."-- Religious Studies Review About the Author Brian Allison Hatcher is Assistant Professor of Religion and Humanities, Illinois Wesleyan University, USA.