The 1857 Indian Uprising and the British Empire

220 Pages·2016·1.679 MB·English

by  Jill C. Bender

The 1857 Indian Uprising and the British Empire
Situating the 1857 Indian uprising within an imperial context, Jill C.
Bender traces its ramifications across the four different colonial sites
ofIreland,NewZealand,Jamaica,andsouthernAfrica.Benderargues
thatthe1857uprisingshapedcolonialBritons’perceptionsoftheirown
empire,revealingthepossibilitiesofanintegratedempirethatcouldpro-
videtheresourcestogenerateand“justify”Britishpower.Inresponse
to the uprising, Britons throughout the empire debated colonial
responsibility, methods of counter-insurrection, military recruiting
practices, and colonial governance. Even after the rebellion had been
suppressed,theviolenceof1857continuedtohavelastingeffect.The
fearsgeneratedbytheuprisingtransformedhowtheBritishunderstood
theirrelationshipwiththe“colonized”andshapedtheirownexpecta-
tions of themselves as “colonizer.” Placing the 1857 Indian uprising
within an imperial context reminds us that British power was neither
naturalnorinevitable,buthadtobeconstructed.
jill c. bender isAssistantProfessorofHistoryattheUniversityof
NorthCarolinaatGreensboro,andahistorianofmodernBritainand
the British Empire. She has published a number of articles and book
chaptersonIreland,India,andtheBritishEmpire.

The 1857 Indian Uprising
and the British Empire
Jill C. Bender
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For Mom and Dad

Contents
Listoffigures pageviii
Acknowledgments ix
1 Introduction 1
2 A“greatbodycorporate”:1857andthesinewsofempire 27
3 “Amutinywasaverycatchingthing”:fearsof
widespreadresistance 56
4 Defendinganempire:1857andtheempire’s“martial
races” 81
5 Rebels,race,andviolence:mid-Victoriancolonial
conflicts 106
6 Alegacyofviolence 143
7 Conclusion 176
Selectbibliography 182
Index 198
vii
Figures
1 “Dr.Bull”drawsfromhisIndianexperiencestotreatthe
symptomsofFenianism.Punch,1866.(cid:2)C PunchLimited. page139
2 SydneyPunch’s“PerfectCureforMaoriMassacres(Taken
fromanEastIndianRecipewhichwasfoundremarkably
efficacious,someyearsago.)”SydneyPunch,November28,
1868.NationalLibraryofAustralia. 140
viii