“To Seek a Nobler Inheritance”: The Namasudra-Baptist Exchange of Early Twentieth-Century Bengal

Abstract

Abstract This article presents a study of the dynamics that evolved between Dalits and Baptist missionaries in eastern India during the early years of the twentieth century. Drawing on hitherto unexamined Baptist publications, it attempts to discern what was at stake in their engagements through a close analysis of the exchanges that ensued between the two parties that, despite their extended unfolding, nonetheless resulted in few conversions. Proceeding from a consideration of nineteenth-century precedents, the article focuses on the period of their interactions that coincided with the Swadeshi movement in Bengal. It seeks to illustrate not only the considerable density of the collaborations they pursued but also to argue that their relationships contributed to the formation of a distinctive strand of liberalism. In so doing, the article invites reconsideration of the idea that subaltern consciousness was resistant to Western, and specifically missionary, influence.