Invasion of Cultures

indigo_res
By indigo_res

Thomas Macaulay was instrumental in creating the foundations of bilingual colonial India, by convincing the Governor-General to adopt English as the medium of instruction in higher education, from the sixth year of schooling onwards, rather than Sanskrit or Arabic then used in the institutions supported by the East India Company
The passage to which the term refers is from his Minute on Indian Education, delivered in 1835. It reads,
“ It is impossible for us, with our limited means, to attempt to educate the body of the people. We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect. To that class we may leave it to refine the vernacular dialects of the country, to enrich those dialects with terms of science borrowed from the Western nomenclature, and to render them by degrees fit vehicles for conveying knowledge to the great mass of the population.[5]

Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Babington_Macaulay,_1st_Baron_Macaulay
If you want to invade a country, break the very backbone of society by demolishing local culture and language. If you can do that, you can invade and rule that country. The above strategy was a main instrumental British used to invade and rule India.

If this is true the same invasion is happening with all the countries (whether China, Middle East, Asia or Europe) even now. Local cultures and traditions are replaced with all western and education is now only in English. What is your opinion?

By Texas_Ranger• 23 Jan 2010 11:39
Texas_Ranger

Well, British did what they did certainly not out of a sense of gratitude or philanthropy. But India's spectacular progress in science & technology wouldn't have been possible without English. I would give them credit for that.

By plushed• 23 Jan 2010 11:38
plushed

are you referring to "neocolonialism" by any chance? i think learning english is not in that category though.

language is a barrier for most of us.. english is a medium. the better we know it, the more competitive we are because we can communicate well with other people/nationalities.

culture, traditions .. thats what defines a society. thats what we should preserve.

..ReaLitY haS a WaY oF snEaKinG uP aNd biTinG us iN tHe aSS..

By anonymous• 23 Jan 2010 10:24
Rating: 3/5
anonymous

It all seams like a good logic & commonsense thing to do.. it worked did it not… India has the British to thank them for that, what would India be today without the British involvement, The same as Malaysia, but ask any Malaysian and they will tell you the British did nothing for them… fools

By anonymous• 23 Jan 2010 10:23
anonymous

If you want to rule Qatar, become a Muslim, learn Arabic, and wear a thobe.

By anonymous• 23 Jan 2010 10:21
anonymous

Indigo you saw the movie Veer didn't you?

**** Aal Izz Well****

By anonymous• 23 Jan 2010 10:20
Rating: 2/5
anonymous

Alexander the Great did it the other way. He crowned himself as pharao and had no problem with ancient Egypt. He married a Persian princess according to the traditions and had no problem with Persia.

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