Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Ευρωπαϊκή ιστορίαLibrary of the School of Philosophy
Supervisors info:
Μαρία Παπαθανασίου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Κώστας Ράπτης, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Αθηνά Συριάτου, Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Εθνολογίας, Δημοκρίτειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θράκης
Original Title:
Ο Βρετανικός Ινδικός Στρατός από το 1858 μέχρι και το 1914: Πολιτισμικές θεωρήσεις και πολιτικές διαχείρισης των Ινδών sepoys από τους Βρετανούς
Translated title:
The British-Indian Army from 1858 to 1914: British Cultural Attitudes and Administrative Policies regarding the Indian Sepoys
Summary:
The consolidation of the British sovereignty over India was established after the end of the Seven Year’s War (1756-1763), a conflict that brought out Britain as the sole European power with ambition and the capability to rule the subcontinent. However, it must be pointed out that this was gradually achieved through a process, that lasted some decades. In the end of it, the majority of the Indian states and principalities had been incorporated in the territories, that were ruled by the East India Company, the representative body of British interests in the subcontinent. In 1858 though, India passed to the direct control of the British government.
The rule of both the East India Company and after 1858 of the British state in India was based partly in the presence of British troops on Indian soil, but mainly to the use of an Indian mercenary army, that numbered tens of thousands. The present paper will try to analyze the stance of the British authorities and British officials towards the Indian military personnel, as well as the policies that were developed for the Indian soldiers inside the broader political, social and military context of the British Raj between 1858 and 1914, the so called “classic” period of British hegemony in India. Among the objects of this study is the analysis of the attitudes of British politicians and military officers towards the Indian soldiery, while at the same time I will elaborate on the issue of British stereotypes regarding the Indian officers and soldiers. The main goal of this thesis is to define the British cultural doctrines about the Indian army and the relevant policies that were developed. At the same time, it is examined the use of the Indian army as a mean of imperial enforcement outside India, along with the presentation of the Indian soldiers inside Rudyard Kipling’s literary works.
Main subject category:
History
Keywords:
British India, British Raj, Sepoys, British-Indian Army, cultural attitudes
Number of references:
292
