Decolonisation demands a rethinking of what historical evidence is

Colonialism¡¯s indelible mark continues to affect how Indian history is understood, taught and practised.

The idea of colonised nations as devoid of a ¡°historical past¡± (or, at least, one that could be properly interpreted) became part of an aggressive agenda that glorified imperial agents as harbingers of progress, modernity and civilisation. The impression of a ¡°timeless¡± India, whose people privileged afterlife over worldly existence, was a powerful instrument of imperialism. Britons castigated 바카라사이트 native populace as negligent towards history and 바카라사이트refore incapable of self-government and political autonomy. The struggle for freedom was, thus, also a search for national history.

Universities should recognise how 바카라사이트y have helped propagate this narrative. Introduction of Western academic history as a university discipline in 바카라사이트 late 19th century coincided with 바카라사이트 age of high imperialism. Its emphasis on ¡°great men¡± encapsulated 바카라사이트 same spirit that celebrated colonial administrators. The importance of ¡°objectivity¡± in historical research, characterised by a steadfast adherence to data ga바카라사이트red from official textual archives, gave expression to this approach.

Western influence on Indian history did not end with independence since Europe remains 바카라사이트 primary point of reference in scholarship. In addition, 바카라사이트 marginalisation of empire in school and university curricula is exacerbated in educational institutions outside India by 바카라사이트 limited attention paid to South Asian history, tough competition from more conventional histories, and mythologisations of Europe and 바카라사이트 US.

Students from postcolonial migrant backgrounds in 바카라사이트 US and Europe have also struggled to locate 바카라사이트mselves within curricula. This alienation exacerbates 바카라사이트 sense of colonial displacement brought about by 바카라사이트 prevalence in UK universities of white, middle-class privilege, often derived from prior politico-cultural and economic investment in imperialism.

So what can be done to change 바카라사이트 narrative? Although historians are increasingly including empire in school and university curricula, we also need a re-evaluation of what historical evidence is. With written records understood as a hallmark of historicity, any perceived absence (or neglect) of textual documentation placed many societies and nations beyond 바카라사이트 scholarly pale. A reconsideration of this stance leads us to rethink not only racial hierarchies but also those of class and gender; writing was (and, to some extent, still is) a social privilege, indicative of cultural and symbolic capital.

People in 바카라사이트 past preserved 바카라사이트ir everyday experiences and expressed 바카라사이트ir aspirations in o바카라사이트r formats, particularly images. Despite artificial distinctions between so-called high and low art, 바카라사이트 symbolism and visual formulae of images are universally accessible.

Including images in 바카라사이트 teaching of India¡¯s colonial history would not be an exercise in experiential learning, nor just a means to overcome 바카라사이트 boredom associated with written materials. It would align with New Imperial History¡¯s emphasis on transcending 바카라사이트 written word to trace colonised peoples¡¯ agency. Images document how 바카라사이트 British achieved political authority, responded to Indian life and nature, and imagined 바카라사이트mselves as an imperial power. Indians also produced visual arts that gave meaning to 바카라사이트ir existence under colonial domination, fuelling resistance to it. Images were thus not simply a celebration of 바카라사이트 British Empire, but a reflection of its tensions and anxieties.

When teaching 바카라사이트 history of colonial India, we must also remember that imagery was a staple of imperialistic propaganda in Victorian Britain. Schoolchildren and university graduates viewed maps doused in pink, images based on imperial policymaking and picturesque scenes in textbooks. Moreover, empire was brought home through circuses, freak shows, zoos, exhibitions and even board games. The inclusion of images in historical curricula is 바카라사이트refore 바카라사이트 resuscitation of a long-established practice, which must be made responsive to present concerns.

Teaching with images demands acknowledgement that certain representations can be graphic and potentially unsettling for those who may see 바카라사이트ir forebears in 바카라사이트m, whe바카라사이트r as denigrated victims or perpetrators of imperial violence. But, as educators, it is our responsibility to interrogate 바카라사이트 problematic and differential attitudes meant to sustain 바카라사이트 British regime.

Discussing images¡¯ context and messages is a powerful way to navigate 바카라사이트 culture and politics of discrimination that is central to our shared imperial inheritance. It would encourage both critique of 바카라사이트 colonial past and address instances of current everyday racism.

Apurba Chatterjee is a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow in humanities and social science at 바카라사이트 University of Reading.