Financing the Basel German Evangelical Mission in South India during the 19th century

The seminar on March 31, 2025, part of the COGLOSS seminars (Colonial and Global History Seminars) 2024-2025 at Leiden University, will focus on the Basel German Evangelical Mission (BGEM) and its branch, the Basel Trading Company (BHG) in South India, exploring their economic activities. Amal Shahid will examine the connections between Switzerland, Germany, and the British Empire through fundraising efforts and industrial ventures.

Abstract

The talk will examine the case of the Basel German Evangelical Mission Society (BGEM), which was set up in 1815 in Basel and engaged in various economic activities in its mission stations in South India. Its missionaries were recruited mainly from present-day Switzerland and South Germany. A formal branch of the Mission, called the Basel Trading Company (Basler Handelsgesellschaft, BHG) was created in 1859. It oversaw industries such as printing, weaving, tile- and brick-making and employed various Indian converts and non-converts from surrounding areas. The BGEM benefitted not only from the profits of the BHG, but also from fundraising schemes such as the weekly halbbatzenkollekte (collection of 5 cents) in Switzerland or the Piekollekte (collection of a pie, a denomination of the Indian rupee) in South India. Moreover, auxiliary societies were key to the financing of the mission; their collections from rural areas of Europe provided the necessary support for BGEM to expand its proselytising activities in the British colonies. Using English and German sources, this talk shows the intricate connections between Protestant Switzerland and Germany and financial exchanges enabled by the British Empire in the Indian subcontinent.

More informations

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2025/03/cogloss-31-march-2025.