Echoes of Tradition II

This is 2nd part of my previous article. I have tried to be more theoretical in my approach rather than quantify these with examples. In the wake of colonialism, nations and cultures around the world face a complex challenge: how to forge a new identity that honors their past while embracing the future. This article explores the intricate dance between tradition and modernity, examining how colonized peoples navigate the aftermath of imperial rule. The profound questions about identity and belonging continue to shape our world long after the formal end of colonial rule.

1. Which Identity Will Emerge?

The Scholars, artists, and intellectuals become the vanguard of breaking free of the conservative movement, engaging in a delicate dance of reinterpretation. They seek to distill the essence of these inherited knowledge systems, separating the core principles from the accretions of fear and rigidity that have accumulated over time.

This process of reclaiming and reviving old ideas is full of challenges. It means facing long-standing social norms and power structures in modern society. The arguments that follow aren’t just academic debates. They’re real struggles about who we are as a society and how we understand our culture. When these new ideas come out, people react in different ways. Some people who strongly believe in old traditions see these new ideas as disrespectful. Others think these changes are necessary to bring new life to their culture and way of thinking. This back-and-forth between keeping things the same and making changes is creating new ways of thinking. It’s not simple — sometimes the same person or group wants to keep some old ideas while changing others. There’s a tug-of-war between wanting to protect the past and needing to change with the times. This struggle shows how colonialism has affected not just land and people, but also how people think and see themselves.

2. The Shadow of the Master Prevails

As people try to figure out their identity and make changes, a split happens in society. This split is based on class, education, and what people believe. The native people who got a colonial education and became powerful often started thinking more like the colonizers. They might feel disconnected from the everyday lives and culture of most people in their country. On the other hand, ordinary people are trying to hold onto their old traditions while also dealing with new ideas about progress. This difference, made worse by some people having more money and education than others, can cause anger and distrust between the two groups. Both the powerful natives and the ordinary people are stuck with a twisted view of the world. This view comes from leftover colonial ideas and the strong reactions against those ideas. The powerful natives might end up copying their former rulers, taking on ideas that don’t fit with their own culture. Ordinary people might refuse to change at all, holding tightly to old ways because they’re afraid of losing their identity.

As countries try to build a new identity after colonialism, these conflicts make it hard. The very things that helped people fight for independence — compromises made under colonial rule, strong reactions against colonialism, and mixed-up ways of seeing the world — now make it difficult to create a united country

3. The New Society Emerges

But even in all this confusion, there’s hope. People are starting to see that the new social structures and identities that have formed after colonialism aren’t just leftovers from the past. Instead, they’re always changing and growing, shaped by people’s resistance and strength. The native people haven’t just passively accepted what was left after colonialism. They’ve actively shaped their identities and ways of thinking based on their own experiences and struggles against oppression. The compromises and reactions that came from being under colonial rule didn’t just limit people — they also led to new ways of resisting, new forms of cultural expression, and new ways of understanding the world. These new identities and social structures still show the pain of colonialism, but they also show the strength and power of people who refuse to be defined only by their oppressors’ stories. They represent a mix of old wisdom, native resistance, and new ways of adapting, all formed through hard times.

4. Decolonization: Removing the Old Way of Thinking

In this mix of fighting back, staying strong, and adapting, we find the real chance to break free from colonial influence and reclaim our culture. By accepting and embracing the complex new identities and social structures that have emerged, colonized nations can start to tell a story that goes beyond just reacting to colonial ideas or sticking to old traditions.

This process of reclaiming and reinterpreting our culture requires us to look carefully at what we’ve inherited from both the colonizers and our ancestors. We need to see the flaws and limits in both, while also finding the lasting wisdom and strength that have kept our communities going through centuries of hard times.

We must be willing to face the twisted ideas that colonialism forced on us, while also valuing the clever ways our people found to resist and adapt. We need to understand how our traditional ways of seeing the world and practicing our culture have been changed by colonial rule, recognizing that our traditions have always been able to change and survive.

Ultimately, the process of decolonization and cultural reclamation is not a linear path towards a predetermined endpoint, but rather a continuous journey of self-discovery, self-definition, and self-assertion. It is a process that requires a critical engagement with the complexities of history, a willingness to confront the contradictions and tensions that have shaped the present, and a commitment to forging a future that transcends the limitations of inherited narratives and imposed identities. When we try to face our historical story, especially in the context of colonialism and its lasting effects, it can make us feel very resistant and hesitant. For native people, fitting into the new social structures that have come after colonial rule often feels like a threat to their long-held way of seeing the world — a worldview that has been carefully passed down through generations, rooted in how their ancestors understood truth.

5. The Weight of Our Ancestors

The importance of this ancestral legacy isn’t just about feeling nostalgic or sentimental. It’s a deep connection to a way of living and seeing the world that has been shaped and refined over many generations. This worldview carries the collective experiences, struggles, and victories of a people. To give up this legacy, even as progress and modern life seem to march on unstoppably, feels like betraying one’s basic identity. It feels like cutting off the very roots that have kept their cultural and spiritual life alive.

This resistance is made even stronger by how colonial powers tried to pick apart, analyze, and reinterpret the traditions and practices of colonized peoples. Using Victorian-era scientific methods and European ways of understanding, the rich and complex systems of indigenous knowledge were often reduced to mere curiosities. They were examined by outsiders who failed to understand the deep meanings and subtle details of these ancient wisdom traditions.

6. The Glory of Our Ancestors

The process of studying these cultures, while supposedly aimed at understanding and preserving cultural practices, actually helped to distort and break them apart. Traditions that once existed as natural, complete expressions of a people’s worldview were cut up, categorized, and examined through Western academic ideas. This stripped away their natural vitality and reduced them to lifeless objects for scholars to study.

For native individuals, this process of outsiders dissecting and reinterpreting their culture feels like a deep violation of their inherited knowledge systems. The forcing of foreign ideas and methods onto their ancestral wisdom feels like an erasure of their culture, a denial of their right to decide for themselves how to create and preserve knowledge. This is why many resist fitting into new social structures and hold onto their old ways. Native individuals, faced with the weight of this historical legacy, find comfort and strength in the familiar worldview of their ancestors — a worldview that has survived colonialism and attempts to make all cultures the same. To give up this worldview, even as society changes and new power structures emerge, feels like giving in to the very forces that once tried to crush their cultural identity. It feels like rejecting the hard-won strength and resistance that has kept their people going through generations of hardship, like betraying the sacred trust given to them by their ancestors.

In this light, resisting assimilation isn’t just about reacting against change. It’s a strong statement of cultural independence, a refusal to give up the deep wisdom they’ve inherited in exchange for shallow, imposed ideas that don’t capture the full picture. This stance is based on a deep respect for the lived experiences and collective memory of one’s ancestors. It recognizes that true knowledge and understanding can’t be broken down and measured by outsiders, but must be embraced as a whole, woven into the very core of one’s being.

7. The Secular Viewpoint

The complex relationship between tradition, modern life, and the effects of colonialism creates a challenge that can’t be solved with simple answers or by choosing between two extremes. At the heart of this complex issue is a basic tension — the tension between the lasting wisdom and strength of Indigenous knowledge systems and the unstoppable forces of change that come with progress and globalization.

When facing this tension, it’s tempting to either cling stubbornly to old ways or to completely embrace modern ideas, forgetting the rich heritage of the past in pursuit of a future where everything is the same. But these extreme views don’t capture the subtle details and complexities of this situation and often make the divisions and misunderstandings even worse. The idea that there’s a clear divide between “elite” and “native” traditions might seem like a helpful way to understand things, but it hides the complex web of connections and dependencies that have shaped these societies throughout history. This false division fails to recognize how cultures naturally exchange ideas, mix different concepts, and adapt over time — which has always been a part of the human experience. Instead of keeping up this artificial divide, it’s important to understand that the real challenge isn’t about choosing between tradition and modern life. It’s about how societies have responded and adapted to colonial rule and the later shift towards secular (non-religious) ways of thinking, which came from Christian worldviews.

The imposition of Western epistemologies and the secularization of knowledge production have profoundly influenced how societies have navigated the currents of change and modernity. These processes have often been accompanied by a reductionist approach that seeks to compartmentalize and quantify the multifaceted dimensions of human experience, stripping them of their inherent complexity and nuance. In the context of indigenous traditions and knowledge systems, this secularized lens has inadvertently contributed to a distortion of their essential essence, reducing them to static artifacts or relics of the past, devoid of their inherent dynamism and adaptability. The very notion of “purity” that has been ascribed to these traditions is itself a construct, a byproduct of the anthropological gaze that sought to categorize and objectify the lived experiences of diverse cultures.

8. The Myth of “Purity”

This artificial idea of “purity” has led to a broken understanding of tradition and modern life. It makes people think that adapting and changing must mean losing or watering down their cultural heritage. This view has caused people to react defensively, trying to keep traditions exactly as they are, for fear of outside influences changing them. However, this reactionary stance fails to acknowledge the inherent resilience and malleability that have allowed indigenous knowledge systems to endure and evolve over centuries, adapting to changing circumstances while retaining their essence and wisdom. It is a stance that denies the organic processes of cultural exchange and synthesis that have enriched and invigorated civilizations throughout human history.

The solution, therefore, isn’t to stubbornly stick to an artificial idea of “pure” tradition, nor to completely embrace modern life at the cost of one’s cultural roots. Instead, we need to carefully and critically engage with the past, present, and future. We must recognize that human societies naturally change over time, while also honoring the lasting wisdom and strength that have kept these traditions alive through good times and bad.

9. The Role of Itihas (Historical Narrative)

The study of history needs to go beyond just listing dates and facts. It should take a more detailed approach that tries to understand the real-life experiences, motivations, and worldviews of the people who have shaped human civilization. This approach, akin to the Ithihasa tradition of the Indian subcontinent, recognizes that history is not merely a static record of events, but rather a dynamic and multifaceted narrative that encompasses the complexities of human experience, the interplay of ideas and ideologies, and the enduring quest for meaning and understanding that has driven human societies throughout the ages. By using this Itihasa perspective, we can start to untangle the complex threads that have woven together tradition and modern life. We can see how societies have adapted to forces of change while also keeping the core of their cultural and knowledge-based foundations. This understanding can then guide our approach to the present and future, helping us navigate progress and globalization while staying firmly connected to the lasting wisdom and strength of our respective traditions.

10. Peeling the Layers

a) The Sanskritic Layer

This layer, far from being a fixed and unchanging idea, is a living, breathing tradition that has always adapted and grown. It responds to the ever-changing flow of human experience while keeping its essence and deep meaning. Engaging with this Sanskritic layer doesn’t mean going backward or just reacting to change. Instead, it means tapping into a deep well of knowledge and understanding that has stood the test of time and gone beyond the limits of physical borders. The Sanskritic layer is like an ancient tree with deep roots. While its branches may grow and change with the seasons, its core remains strong and nourishing. This tradition has shown a remarkable ability to absorb new ideas and experiences, all while maintaining its fundamental principles. It’s not about blindly following old ways, but about understanding the wisdom that has allowed this tradition to survive and thrive for thousands of years.

b) Moving Beyond Artificial Divides

This approach transcends the artificial dichotomies that have plagued the discourse on tradition and modernity, recognizing that true progress and human flourishing lie not in the wholesale rejection of the past nor the uncritical embrace of modernity, but rather in the dynamic synthesis of these seemingly disparate forces. It is a path that acknowledges the inherent limitations and distortions that have accompanied the processes of colonization and secularization, while simultaneously embracing the transformative potential of cross-cultural exchange and the universal human yearning for knowledge, understanding, and personal growth. In this light, the task before us is not one of mere preservation or reactionary resistance, but rather a holistic and integrative approach that seeks to distill the enduring wisdom and resilience of our respective traditions, while simultaneously remaining open to the insights and innovations that have emerged from the crucible of human experience. It is a journey that demands intellectual humility, a willingness to confront the complexities and contradictions of our shared histories, and a commitment to forging a path that honors the richness of our heritage while simultaneously embracing the ever-evolving horizons of human potential. Only through this integrative and solution-oriented approach can we transcend the artificial divides that have plagued the discourse on tradition and modernity, paving the way for a more nuanced and holistic understanding of the human experience — one that recognizes the inherent dynamism and interconnectedness of all human endeavors, and the profound wisdom that lies at the intersection of tradition and innovation.