International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Language, Education and Identity: The Assamese Renaissance under Baptist Missionary

The paper looks at the crucial transformation of the language and education of Assam during the wake of the Assam renaissance. The nineteenth century is marked to have kindled a deep sense of emancipation and played a pivotal role in evaluation of the cultural and intellectual history of Assam. The American Baptist Missionary played an important role in the history of Assam and bringing in the renaissance during the nineteenth century. The paper underlines how the British missionaries carried out the momentous changes of the region in the field of education, print, press and language leading to the creation of its distinct linguistic identity. Since no corroborative indigenous data regarding the activities of the missionaries in Assam is found, thus the study is based on the earliest church records of Rev. Miles Bronson and other secondary sources. With the establishment of vernacular schools, translation of religious and secular works and the introduction of printing press helped expand literacy in Assam. This encouraged the use of Assamese language in formal learning, while the publication of Orunadoi further created a new intellectual sphere fostering literary growth and linguistic consciousness forming its own identity to the Assamese people. The developments brought by the Baptist missionary collectively stimulated a broader cultural awakening which laid the foundation of modern Assamese literature and identity formation. This study examines how the Baptist missionary role in the education and linguistic initiative contributed to the Assamese renaissance and argues that the missionary’s intervention despite its colonial and religious framework, became a catalyst in the shaping of modern Assamese society.