Theosophy and English language education for women in colonial Ceylon. A study on gender issues in the context of religion and nation in a global history perspective.

见神社在19世纪至20世纪中叶锡兰的宗教史上发挥了重要作用。学者们研究了它对僧伽罗改革佛教的支持，但他们忽视了它对泰米尔-赛维派印度教改革运动的影响。之前的研究也没有意识到这样一个事实，即神智学会通过促进殖民精英之间跨越宗教和语言边界的个人联系，在创建网络方面起到了至关重要的作用。可以研究神学对锡隆社会影响的一个中心地方是宗教改革运动的英语女子学校，这些学校无一例外地由著名的美国和欧洲的神智论者领导。对妇女教育的关注也使人们有可能参与最近针对全球历史的性别研究中的讨论。为了充分了解以神学为中介的妇女教育的作用，在锡兰当代泰米尔萨维主义和泰米尔民族主义的背景下，更准确地了解P.Ramanathan的教义和活动是必不可少的。然而，以前对拉马纳坦的研究是不存在的。因此，作为该项目的第二个重点，P.Ramanathan在南亚宗教史上的地位将得到更密切的考察。

The Theosophical Society played an important role in the religious history of Ceylon from the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. Scholars have examined its support for Singhalese reform Buddhism, but they have overlooked its influence on the Tamil-saivite Hindu reform movement. Nor has prior research appreciated the fact that the Theosophical Society was crucial in creating networks, by promoting personal contacts between the colonial elites across religious and linguistic boundaries. A central place where the theosophical influence on Ceylonese society can be studied are the English-speaking girls' schools of the religious reform movements, which were led without exception by prominent American and European theosophists. The concentration on women's education also makes it possible to engage with recent discussions in gender studies that are oriented towards global history. In order to adequately contextualize the role of theosophically mediated women's education, a more precise knowledge of the teachings and activities of P. Ramanathan in the context of contemporary Tamil Saivism and Tamil nationalism in Ceylon is indispensable. However, prior research on Ramanathan is non-existent. Therefore, as a second focus of the project, P. Ramanathan's position within South Asias's religious history will be examined more closely.