Pandita Ramabai's American Encounter : The Peoples of the United States (1889)

"... [A] rare and remarkable insight into an Indian woman's take on American culture in the 19th century, refracted through her own experiences with British colonialism, Indian nationalism, and Christian culture on no less than three continents.... a fabulous resource for undergraduate teaching." -- Antoinette Burton In the 1880s, Pandita Ramabai traveled from India to England and then to the U.S., where she spent three years immersed in the milieu of progressive social reform movements of the day. Born into a Brahmin family and widowed while still young, she converted to Christianity while in England. In India, she was an activist for the education of women and the improvement of the status of widows. Abroad, she was iconized as a champion of the "oppressed Hindu woman." The Peoples of the United States is Ramabai's comprehensive description of American life, ranging from government to economy, education to domestic activity. As an account of a Western society by an Indian woman and a feminist, it reverses the established equation of male, Orientalist travel narratives. First published in Marathi in 1889, it is offered here in an elegant and engaging English translation by Meera Kosambi, who also provides a critical introduction and extensive annotations. Annotation "... [A] rare and remarkable insight into an Indian woman's take on American culture in the 19th century, refracted through her own experiences with British colonialism, Indian nationalism, and Christian culture on no less than three continents.... a fabulous resource for undergraduate teaching." -- Antoinette Burton In the 1880s, Pandita Ramabai traveled from India to England and then to the U.S., where she spent three years immersed in the milieu of progressive social reform movements of the day. Born into a Brahmin family and widowed while still young, she converted to Christianity while in England. In India, she was an activist for the education of women and the improvement of the status of widows. Abroad, she was iconized as a champion of the "oppressed Hindu woman." The Peoples of the United States is Ramabai's comprehensive description of American life, ranging from government to economy, education to domestic activity. As an account of a Western society by an Indian woman and a feminist, it reverses the established equation of male, Orientalist travel narratives. First published in Marathi in 1889, it is offered here in an elegant and engaging English translation by Meera Kosambi, who also provides a critical introduction and extensive annotations. Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 10 List of Abbreviations......Page 14 Returning the American Gaze: Situating Pandita Ramabai’sAmerican Encounter......Page 16 Preface......Page 68 1. Voyage from Liverpool to Philadelphia......Page 70 2. The “Nethermost World,” or Continent of America......Page 77 3. System of Government......Page 91 4. Social Conditions......Page 110 5. Domestic Conditions......Page 120 6. Education and Learning......Page 153 7. Religious Denominations and Charities......Page 169 8. The Condition of Women......Page 182 9. Commerce and Industry......Page 230 Translator’s/Editor’s Notes......Page 256 Literature Cited......Page 282 Index......Page 290 Offers insight into an Indian woman's take on American culture in the 19th century.