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.

神学会在世纪至20世纪世纪中期的锡兰宗教史上占有重要地位。学者们研究了它对僧伽罗人改革佛教的支持，但他们忽视了它对泰米尔-塞维派印度教改革运动的影响。先前的研究也没有认识到，通过促进殖民地精英之间跨越宗教和语言界限的个人接触，神学会在建立网络方面至关重要。神学对锡兰社会的影响可以在宗教改革运动中研究的一个中心地点是讲英语的女子学校，这些学校无一例外都是由美国和欧洲著名的神学家领导的。对妇女教育的关注也使我们能够参与最近针对全球历史的性别研究的讨论。为了充分了解以神学为媒介的妇女教育的作用，必须在当代泰米尔Saivism和锡兰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。然而，之前对Ramanathan的研究是不存在的。因此，作为该项目的第二个重点，将更仔细地研究P. Ramanathan在南亚宗教历史中的地位。

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.