Two Streams of Reform: Reformist and Revivalist
Modern History › Socio-Religious Reform Movements: General Features · Topic 11.3
Nineteenth-century reform movements fell into two streams: reformist (Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Aligarh Movement) and revivalist (Arya Samaj, Deoband Movement). Both appealed to the lost purity of the religion, and differed only in how far they relied on tradition or on reason and conscience.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Socio-Religious Reform Movements: General Features
At a Glance
- What it is The classification of reform movements into two streams
- Reformist Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Aligarh Movement
- Revivalist Arya Samaj, Deoband movement
- Social reform agenda Women’s status and the removal of untouchability
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Socio-Religious Reform Movements: General Features
Where Does It Fit?
This is the third topic of the category on the general features of socio-religious reform. The previous topic described the social and ideological bases. This topic classifies the movements and describes the direction of social reform. The next topic covers the reform movements and the position of women. Previous topic: Social and Ideological Bases of Reform.
What Are the Two Streams?
The reform movements can broadly be classified into two categories. The reformist movements include the Brahmo Samaj, the Prarthana Samaj and the Aligarh Movement. The revivalist movements include the Arya Samaj and the Deoband movement.
Both the reformist and the revivalist movements depended, to varying degrees, on an appeal to the lost purity of the religion they sought to reform. The only difference lay in the degree to which a movement relied on tradition or on reason and conscience.
| Stream | Movements | Reliance |
|---|---|---|
| Reformist | Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Aligarh Movement | More on reason and conscience |
| Revivalist | Arya Samaj, Deoband movement | More on tradition |
Each of these movements is told in its own topic: Raja Rammohan Roy and the Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and the Aligarh Movement, Dayananda Saraswati and the Arya Samaj, and The Deoband School (Darul Uloom).
How Did the Two Streams Share Ground?
Both streams grew from the same causes, set out in Factors Giving Rise to the Desire for Reform, and from the same educated social base, set out in Social and Ideological Bases of Reform. Both reacted to the intrusion of colonial culture and to the sense that society had decayed. Neither stream accepted blind imitation of the West, and, as stated earlier, the reformers envisaged neither a revival of the past nor a total break with tradition.
As an analytical point, the labels are useful for sorting movements but should not be read as sharp opposites. A reformist movement still invoked the Vedas or the Quran, and a revivalist movement still used modern organisation, schools and the press. Answers earn better marks when they say that the difference was one of degree, which is the chapter’s own point.
How Did Social Reform Change Direction?
The humanistic ideals of social equality and the equal worth of all individuals, which inspired the newly educated middle class, shaped social reform in a major way. Social reform movements were linked to religious reform primarily because nearly all social ills, like untouchability and gender inequality, derived legitimacy from religion in one way or another.
In later years the social reform movement gradually dissociated itself from religion and adopted a secular approach. Earlier, the movements had a rather narrow social base, limited to the upper and middle classes and upper castes, who tried to balance their modernised views with existing social conditions. Later, social reform penetrated the lower strata of society to revolutionise and reconstruct the social sphere.
| Phase | Character |
|---|---|
| Early | Tied to religious reform; limited to upper and middle classes and upper castes |
| Later | Gradually secular; reached the lower strata |
| Twentieth century | The national movement provided the leadership and organisation |
Who Carried Out Social Reform?
In the beginning, organisations such as the Social Conference, the Servants of India Society and the Christian missionaries were instrumental in social reform, along with many enlightened individuals: Jyotiba Phule, Gopalhari Deshmukh, K.T. Telang, B.M. Malabari, D.K. Karve, Sri Narayana Guru, E.V. Ramaswami Naicker and B.R. Ambedkar. In later years, especially with the onset of the twentieth century, the national movement provided the leadership and organisation for social reform.
The Indian National Social Conference and the Servants of India Society are told in Temple Entry Movement and the Indian Social Conference and Servants of India Society and the Social Service League. Phule’s work is in Satyashodhak Samaj and Jyotirao Phule.
How Did Reformers Reach the Masses?
To reach the masses, the reformers used Indian languages to propagate their views. They used a variety of media: novels, dramas, poetry, short stories, the press and, from the 1930s, the cinema, to spread their opinions.
The social reform movements broadly had a two-point agenda: to fight for the betterment of the status of women, and to remove the disabilities arising from untouchability. These are taken up in Reform Movements and the Position of Women and Struggle Against Caste-Based Exploitation.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Classification question The reformist and revivalist division is a standard Prelims item
- Evolution of reform The movement from religious to secular reform is a Mains point
- Base for the next topics The two-point agenda leads to women and caste
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the reform movements and the position of women. Next topic: Reform Movements and the Position of Women.
Key People and Terms
- Reformist A movement relying more on reason and conscience
- Revivalist A movement relying more on tradition and the lost purity of religion
- Social Conference An organisation active in early social reform
- Secular approach Reform not tied to religious justification
- Depressed classes The lowest castes subject to untouchability
- Vernacular media Novels, plays, poetry and the press in Indian languages
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Reformist: Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Aligarh.
- Revivalist: Arya Samaj, Deoband.
- Difference: degree of reliance on tradition or on reason and conscience.
- Social reform became secular and reached the lower strata.
- Two-point agenda: women and untouchability.
Do Not Confuse With
- Reformist and revivalist Both appealed to lost purity; the difference was degree
- Early and later social reform Early reform was religious and upper-class; later reform was secular and broader
- Aligarh and Deoband Aligarh: reformist; Deoband: revivalist
Memory Hook
Reason leads the reformist, tradition leads the revivalist, both seek purity.
Mains Angle
Questions ask to classify and compare the movements. These points add depth.
- Shared appeal Both appealed to the lost purity of religion
- Direction of change Social reform moved from religion to a secular approach
- Wider base Reform spread from the upper castes to the lower strata
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Distinguish between reformist and revivalist movements of the nineteenth century with examples.”
How to Answer
- Define Reformist and revivalist.
- Examples Brahmo, Prarthana, Aligarh; Arya, Deoband.
- Common ground Both appealed to the lost purity of religion.
- Conclude The difference is of degree.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the two streams of nineteenth-century reform movements?
The two streams are the reformist movements, such as the Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj and Aligarh Movement, and the revivalist movements, such as the Arya Samaj and the Deoband movement. They differed in the degree of reliance on tradition or reason.
What is the difference between reformist and revivalist movements?
Both appealed to the lost purity of the religion they sought to reform. The difference lay only in the degree to which a movement relied on tradition, as the revivalists did, or on reason and conscience, as the reformists did.
Which movements were reformist?
The Brahmo Samaj, the Prarthana Samaj and the Aligarh Movement were reformist. They relied more on reason and conscience, as seen in their repudiation of the Vedas' infallibility and their reconciliation of Islam with modern needs.
Which movements were revivalist?
The Arya Samaj and the Deoband movement were revivalist movements. They depended more on tradition and on an appeal to the lost purity of the religion, though they also used modern methods in organisation and education.
How did the social reform movement change over time?
Early reform was tied to religion and limited to upper and middle classes and upper castes. Later it gradually dissociated from religion, adopted a secular approach and reached the lower strata, and in the twentieth century the national movement led it.
What was the agenda of the social reform movements?
The social reform movements had a two-point agenda: to fight for the betterment of the status of women in society, and to remove the disabilities arising from untouchability. They used Indian languages, novels, plays, the press and later cinema to spread their views.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The Arya Samaj is classified as a revivalist movement.
So is the Deoband movement.
2 The Aligarh Movement is classified as a revivalist movement.
It is a reformist movement.
3 The reformist and revivalist movements both appealed to the lost purity of the religion.
They differed in the degree of reliance on tradition.
4 Social reform in later years moved away from religious justification to a secular approach.
It also reached the lower strata.
5 Social reform in the nineteenth century had a mass base from the beginning.
It began among the upper and middle classes and upper castes.
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