Legal and penal institutions within a middle-class perspective in colonial Bengal, 1854-1910
This thesis illustrates and analyses the ambiguity of the Bengali middle-class perception regarding the colonial legal and penal institutions, specifically the criminal courts and the jails, in the second half of the nineteenth century. The institutional functioning of the criminal courts and the jails form a marginal part of the thesis. The main focus is the bhadralok perception of these institutions as the repository of ~law and order~ as established by the colonial rule of law. This thesis contends that though the perceived need for preserving law and order through the rule of law came from the colonial government in the first half of the nineteenth century, it had the approval of the bhadralok. It is further argued that the categories of the criminals in the Bengal Presidency (or province), generated by the colonial government at the site of the criminal courts and the jails, were congruent with the divide separating the higher castes from the lower castes. These categories helped the bhadralok to take on a non-criminal identity, based on their perception of the colonial discourse on the criminal classes. Further, from the mid nineteenth century to the late nineteenth century, the increasing familiarity
Mukhopadhy, Anindita
India; Criminal courts; Jails; Bhadralok
Legal and penal institutions within a middle-class perspective in colonial Bengal, 1854-1910. This thesis illustrates and analyses the ambiguity of the Bengali middle-class perception regarding the colonial legal and penal institutions, specifically the criminal courts and the jails, in the second half of the nineteenth century. The institutional functioning of the criminal courts and the jails form a marginal part of the thesis. The main focus is the bhadralok perception of these institutions as the repository of ~law and order~ as established by the colonial rule of law. This thesis contends that though the perceived need for preserving law and order through the rule of law came from the colonial government in the first half of the nineteenth century, it had the approval of the bhadralok. It is further argued that the categories of the criminals in the Bengal Presidency (or province), generated by the colonial government at the site of the criminal courts and the jails, were congruent with the divide separating the higher castes from the lower castes. These categories helped the bhadralok to take on a non-criminal identity, based on their perception of the colonial discourse on the criminal classes. Further, from the mid nineteenth century to the late nineteenth century, the increasing familiarity
legal penal institution within middle_class perspective colonial bengal illustrates analyse ambiguity bengali middle_class perception regard colonial legal penal institution specifically criminal court institutional function criminal court form marginal part_thesis main_focus perception institution repository law_order establish colonial_rule law contend though perceived need preserve law_order rule_law come colonial_government approval argued category criminal bengal presidency province generate colonial_government site criminal court congruent divide separate high caste low caste category help take non criminal identity base perception colonial_discourse criminal class increase familiarity