Social Reform Movements in Nineteenth-Century India: A Critical Reappraisal
Keywords:
Social Reform, Sati Abolition, Widow Remarriage, Caste, Untouchability, Devadasi System, Women’s Education, Child Marriage, Reform Movements.Abstract
The nineteenth century stands out as a defining epoch in India’s socio-cultural evolution, marking a period in which long-standing traditions came under unprecedented scrutiny. Under the dual pressures of British colonial dominance and an internally stagnating social order, Indian thinkers, reformers, and an emergent Western-educated middle class initiated farreaching critiques of practices that had become deeply embedded in everyday life. Customs such as sati, child marriage, enforced widowhood, polygamy, female infanticide, rigid caste hierarchies, and the Devadasi system were increasingly viewed not merely as isolated social evils, but as manifestations of structural oppression that impeded moral and collective progress.
This study undertakes a comprehensive re-examination of these reform movements, situating them within wider historical forces including the intellectual ferment generated by colonial modernity, the expansion of print culture, the spread of English education, and the growing influence of rationalist and humanitarian thought. Drawing upon archival documents, missionary writings, government reports, vernacular newspapers, and speeches of reform leaders, the paper reassesses both the ideological motivations and the practical strategies thatshaped nineteenth-century reform agendas.
While these movements achieved major breakthroughs—most notably the abolition of sati, the legalization of widow remarriage, legislative restrictions on child marriage, and the initiation of anti-caste discourse—they were also limited by prevailing patriarchal assumptions, regional variations, religious sensitivities, and the complex politics of colonial intervention. Despite these constraints, the reform movements collectively generated a new language of rights, equality, and social critique. This intellectual groundwork would later be reclaimed and expanded by feminist activists, Dalit leaders, and social justice pioneers of the twentieth century, ultimately influencing India’s constitutional framework and democratic ethos.
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