The suttee word was derived from the word Sati and it signifies a good woman who is ready to sacrifice herself by getting devoted to her husband. Although the true origin of the word is not very clear, the Greeks, the Scythians and the Indians were believed to have used it in some of their cultural activities. The major characteristic with this word is setting oneself ablaze from community’s pressure, or being set ablaze, especially in the case of widows or slaves, in front of one’s husband or master.
Burning of widows and slaves was a common practice in Asia and some parts of Europe until civilization started to influence such retrogressive cultures. Although the practice of suttee was not considered as a religious ritual, it was common among many Indian communities to practice it as part of their culture. Before the civilization process began, this practice was termed as appropriate and many communities were willing to sacrifice the widows as a way to pay tribute to their late husbands.
One of the ethical concerns with this practice is the termination of another person’s life for reasons that were unavoidable. Death of a husband is not something that a woman can control. However, a widow was forced to pay the price of her husband’s death through her own demise (Therborn 45). This was morally and ethically inappropriate and despite the support from the local communities, it was unacceptable and thanks to civilization, the truth finally dawned on these communities. The practice was allegedly performed as a way of a woman’s dedication to prove her virtuousness.
The other ethical concern associated with this practice is the discrimination of women in the society. Rather than being considered as equal to their men counterparts, women were regarded with contempt and taken like lesser humans. This issue of regarding women as lesser to men is an issue that triggered discrimination and mistreatment of women. The cultural backgrounds in the region affected the moral principles and ethical considerations of these communities leading to great atrocities among women.
The suttee practices were meant to portray heroism among women who were strong and willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their husbands and their communities (Therborn 48). Were it not for the civilization, these customs could have led to the deaths of many innocent women. Death of men in the society was seen as important enough to deserve the death of their widows just to make them complete. Women were therefore supposed to kill themselves in order to receive honor among the community. Women demonstrated courage and respect whenever they agreed to became suttees (Arnold and Robb 45).
The practice of becoming a suttee was also considered as a means of devotion and it was seen as important for the development of cultural values. However, the coming of civilization proved that there was a patriarchal oppression of women because the practice expected them to sacrifice their own lives at the expense of their dead husbands. Civilization enhanced the ethical and moral understanding among Indian communities and this led to the elimination of these retrogressive practices in the region.
The civilization benefits are therefore justified because they influenced the development of equality and fairness among the Indian societies. The modern Indian society has been greatly changed by civilization. This is because oppression and discrimination against women were significantly reduced by the civilization, leading to their consideration as equal to their men counterparts. From these changes, there has been a greater recognition of women’s role in the society, with many individuals now treating them with dignity and respect (Arnold and Robb 45).
The civilization and development initiatives were therefore some of the best experiences that influenced the cultures of the Indian communities. This is because the issues that affected the women and the society as a whole at that time were addressed based on ethical and moral principles. The communities were encouraged to respect each other and to live in harmony with other people in the society. The Indian culture could not have been changed for the better, had civilization not been introduced in the region.
The benefits associated with civilization are said to have changed the Indian culture and integrated the communities to live with respect and harmony. The women in the society were guarded by the policies and principles that were developed under the civilization frameworks, which protected them from discrimination. The patriarchal societies that were prominent in the region were also influenced by civilization and this showed that modernization was in itself a positive and just practice among the Indian communities (Young 23).
The benefits of civilization were therefore justified, and the promoters of social justice were of great importance to the communities living in India and its environs. The Indian community could have proceeded with their retrogressive activities were they not exposed by civilization. The policies and practices that were introduced provided an opportunity for Indians to adapt to the changes that come with modernization and this brought about cultural and social justice.
Works Cited
Arnold, David and Peter Robb. Institutions and Ideologies: A SOAS South Asia Reader. London, UK: Routledge, 1993. Print.
Therborn, Göran. Between Sex and Power: Family in the World, 1900-2000. London, UK: Routledge, 2004. Print.
Young, Serinity. Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion: A-K. New York, NY: Macmillan Reference USA, 1999. Print.
