Composite Culture in a Multicultural Society

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Colonial Heterogeneity and Cultural Change

K.N. Panikkar

Colonial subjection and the cultural practices it valourized introduced a new element into the already existing cultural heterogeneity in India. Different from the existing plurality rooted in social differentiation, the new heterogeneity arose out of the influence of western cultural practices filtered through colonialism. The social reach of the new cultural elements was mainly confined to the emergent middle class, who being linked to the colonial conditions, tried to incorporate them in their life. The overwhelming majority of the population, particularly in the rural areas, remained relatively unaffected, despite the active intervention of the colonial state and its agencies to promote ...