India's Colonization and the Banning of Suttee

Debate Topic: The Civilizing Mission was a Just Enterprise

The suttee word was derived from the word Sati and it signifies a good woman who is ready to sacrifice herself by getting devoted to her husband. Although the true origin of the word is not very clear, the Greeks, the Scythians and the Indians were believed to have used it in some of their cultural activities. The major characteristic with this word is setting oneself ablaze from community’s pressure, or being set ablaze, especially in the case of widows or slaves, in front of one’s husband or master.

Burning of widows and slaves was a common practice in Asia and some parts of Europe until civilization started to influence such retrogressive cultures. Although the practice of suttee was not considered as a religious ritual, it was common among many Indian communities to practice it as part of their culture. Before the civilization process began, this practice was termed as appropriate and many communities were willing to sacrifice the widows as a way to pay tribute to their late husbands.

One of the ethical concerns with this practice is the termination of another person’s life for reasons that were unavoidable. Death of a husband is not something that a woman can control. However, a widow was forced to pay the price of her husband’s death through her own demise (Therborn 45). This was morally and ethically inappropriate and despite the support from the local communities, it was unacceptable and thanks to civilization, the truth finally dawned on these communities. The practice was allegedly performed as a way of a woman’s dedication to prove her virtuousness.

The other ethical concern associated with this practice is the discrimination of women in the society. Rat...

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...tice, fairness and equality.

The benefits of civilization were therefore justified, and the promoters of social justice were of great importance to the communities living in India and its environs. The Indian community could have proceeded with their retrogressive activities were they not exposed by civilization. The policies and practices that were introduced provided an opportunity for Indians to adapt to the changes that come with modernization and this brought about cultural and social justice.

Works Cited

Arnold, David and Peter Robb. Institutions and Ideologies: A SOAS South Asia Reader. London, UK: Routledge, 1993. Print.

Therborn, Göran. Between Sex and Power: Family in the World, 1900-2000. London, UK: Routledge, 2004. Print.

Young, Serinity. Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion: A-K. New York, NY: Macmillan Reference USA, 1999. Print.