Relationship between print culture, public debates …

Print Culture and Public Debate in Europe:

• The new printed literature was criticized as it was feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read, then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might spread. Those who disagreed with established authorities could now print and circulate ideas.
• 1517: A religious reformer, Martin Luther wrote ‘Ninety-five Theses’ criticizing many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church.
•  Luther’s writings were immediately reproduced in vast numbers and read widely. This led to a division within the Church and to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
•  Several scholars think that print brought about a new intellectual atmosphere and helped spread the new ideas that led to the Reformation.
•  1558: The Roman Church, troubled by effects of popular readings and questionings of faith, imposed several controls over publishers and booksellers and began to maintain an Index of Prohibited Books.
• In France-Print popularized the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers. They attacked the sacred authority of the Church and the despotic powers of the state; thus, eroding the legitimacy of a social order based on tradition. Voltaire and Rousseau were widely read.

In India:From the early 19th century, there were intense debates around religious issues. Some criticized existing practices and campaigned for reform, while others countered the arguments of reformers.

• Public tracts and newspapers spread the new ideas and generated discussions and expressions from the public.
• 1821: Raja Ram Mohan Roy published the Sambad Kaumudi and the Hindu orthodoxy commissioned the Samachar Chandrika to oppose his opinions.
• From 1822: Two Persian newspapers were published, Jam-i-Jahan Nama and Shamsul Akhbar. A Guajarati newspaper, the Bombay Samachar, was also published.
• In North India, the ulema were deeply anxious about the collapse of Muslim dynasties. They used cheap lithographic presses, published Persian and Urdu translations of Holy Scriptures and printed religious tracts and newspapers.