Decolonising Knowledge: How Pre-Colonial India’s Learning Ecosystems Resisted Colonial Erasure
Original framing: “Art and Culture with Devdutt | Historical reality of pre-colonial learning in India” — bing news
The original framing omits the role of caste in structuring access to pre-colonial learning, the oral traditions of Adivasi and Dalit communities, and the economic underpinnings of these institutions (e.g., land grants to temples and mosques). It also ignores how British policies like the Permanent Settlement disrupted indigenous funding mechanisms. Additionally, the comparison with other pre-colonial societies (e.g., Islamic Golden Age, China’s Song Dynasty) is absent, as are the voices of contemporary indigenous educators reviving these traditions.
High structural omission detected in mainstream coverage.
The narrative is produced by a modern Indian Express columnist (Devdutt Pattanaik) and platforms like UPSC Essentials, which cater to an elite, English-speaking audience invested in civil service examinations. The framing serves to reclaim historical pride while subtly aligning with state-sanctioned narratives of 'cultural heritage'—obscuring how contemporary education policies still marginalise indigenous knowledge systems. The colonial legacy of knowledge production persists in the privileging of 'historical' over 'living' traditions.
Dalit and Adivasi communities preserved oral traditions and folk pedagogies that were systematically excluded from 'mainstream' pre-colonial narratives. Women like Gargi and Maitreyi were philosophers in their own right, yet their contributions are often reduced to mythological anecdotes. Contemporary movements like the 'Dalit Women’s Scholarship Network' are reclaiming these histories.
The colonial erasure of pre-colonial India’s learning ecosystems was not an accident but a calculated strategy to justify imperial rule and create a compliant labour force.