The East India Company and the Construction of British India, 1757-1857

332 Pages·2017·1.27 MB·English

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Nida Sajid, University of Western Ontario
Supervisor: Nandi Bhatia, The University of Western Ontario
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree
in Comparative Literature
© Nida Sajid 2011
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Sajid, Nida, "Myth, Language, Empire: The East India Company and the Construction of British India,
1757-1857" (2011). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 153.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/153
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Myth, Language, Empire: The East India Company and the Construction of
British India, 1757-1857
(Spine Title: Myth, Language, Empire)
(Thesis format: Monograph)

by

Nida Sajid

Graduate Program in Comparative Literature

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
The University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario, Canada

© Nida Sajid 2011
THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO
School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION

Supervisor Examiners

_____________________ _ ____________________________
Dr. Nandi Bhatia Dr. Angela Borchert

Supervisory Committee
____________________________
Dr. David Darby

_________________________
Dr. Teresa Hubel
____________________________
Dr. Carole Farber

____________________________
Dr. Chelva Kanaganayakam

The thesis by

Nida Sajid
entitled:
Myth, Language, Empire: The East India Company and the Construction of
British India, 1757-1857
is accepted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

________________ ______________________________
Date Chair of the Thesis Examination Board

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Abstract
My PhD dissertation investigates the discursive strategies employed by the East India
Company during the early colonial period to legitimize mercantile imperialism as an act
of preservation for the fast-disintegrating political order that was the Mughal empire in
India. By arguing that the interrelationship of myth, history and archive was essential to
networks of trade and the establishment of political domination, my thesis offers a new
reading of the representations of both the colonizer and the colonized and of the political
debates surrounding the Company’s scandals and imperial ambitions in the English
public sphere during the late eighteenth century. It further reveals the discursive role of
Mughal constitutionality in defining the contours of some key ideas of Enlightenment
thought such as universal sovereignty and vigilant citizenry in Britain, while
simultaneously legitimizing mechanisms of colonial control in an overseas empire. In
order to expose the proximity of early imperialist discourse about Islamic rule in India to
the broader representative structures of European modernity, I revisit via literary and
historical texts, public records and archival documents, the following canonized moments
of British imperial history: the Battle of Plassey, the Black Hole incident, the Company’s
acquisition of the Diwani of Bengal, and the impeachment trial of Warren Hastings. I
further examine the interpretations of these events during the nineteenth century in order
to trace the genealogical connections between the early representations of colonial
encounters and the later writings of high imperialism. Looking simultaneously at these
two discursive moments of the British empire in India, I demonstrate how a mythical
modality based on the aesthetics of the sublime emerged in the colonial archive and how
this mode of representation came to inform history-writing, making the broader
representative structures of Enlightenment thought complicit in the construction of a
narrative continuity for the British empire. In so doing, I reveal the fallacy of current
theoretical positions which inadvertently ignore the role of colonized cultures in the
construction of modern democratic concepts like citizenship and civil society in both
South Asia and Europe.

Keywords: British Empire, India, East India Company, Mughal Empire, Long Eighteenth
Century, Nationalism, Colonialism, Enlightenment, New Imperial History, Postcolonial
Theory

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For Irene and Sajid, and an imaginary place called home …

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Acknowledgements
Far more than the thesis that follows, I find writing this acknowledgment to be a
pleasurably difficult task. Many debts have been accrued both before the conception and
during the completion of this project. I begin with thanking my supervisor, Prof. Nandi
Bhatia, for her intellectual guidance and consistent generosity throughout this arduous
journey, for her limitless patience with my unformed and unfinished ideas in the last six
years, for her characteristic ability to push me towards exploring new ideas and areas of
inquiry, for her extreme confidence in my research whenever I doubted my own
capabilities, and for entrusting me with academic autonomy whenever I needed it. My
indebtedness to her extends way beyond this project because of her exceptional support
and unrelenting faith in all my intellectual and professional endeavors. Thank you, Nandi,
for being the consummate mentor. You have always been more than a thesis supervisor
since the day I met you.
I find words falling short of the gratitude I feel towards Prof. Teresa Hubel,
member of my supervising committee, for reading this dissertation many times over and
providing valuable feedback each time. Whenever I got my drafts back, I saw my own
shortcomings as a scholar but, more importantly, I saw Teresa’s tireless efforts at pushing
my boundaries to become the best I can be both as a researcher and as a writer. Her acute
and insightful observations were instrumental in giving shape to this project, forcing me
to dig into archives even further to find answers to questions which were not even on my
intellectual horizon in the initial stages of writing. Thank you, Teresa, for being so patient
with my tardiness and giving such relentless attention to my work. I also thank Prof.
Angela Borchert for offering a wonderful course titled “Eighteenth-Century Paradigms of
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Aesthetics” during the first year of my PhD program. I can safely say that had it not been
for Angela’s scholarly expertise in teaching the multiple trajectories of eighteenth-
century writings, I would have never got interested in the politics and aesthetics of the
period in the first place. In years to come, I hope to emulate Angela’s passion and
academic rigor in studying this period in all its complexities. I also feel extremely
indebted to Prof. James Miller for his interest in my work. As a teaching assistant for his
course titled “Sex and Culture,” I gained a nuanced understanding of Western intellectual
history and philosophy. And it is a great pleasure to see James move towards India in his
own research recently and enjoy his many trips to the country.
I thank the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures for housing this
dissertation in their Comparative Literature program. The Department was always
supportive of my research and never made me feel anything less than a special PhD
candidate. I feel great regard and gratitude towards Prof. Melitta Adamson and Prof.
David Darby. As the Department Chair, Melitta was always a pillar of support and
responded with great care to all my academic requests. David, as the Graduate Chair, was
always there to provide careful guidance while trusting me to choose my own academic
path. I also thank Teresa Aconito, Dawn Gingerich and Sylvia Kontra in the Department
for attending to my administrative needs. Teresa deserves special appreciation for
answering all my long-distance queries with unfaltering patience.
The funding for my research was provided by Western Graduate Research
Scholarship, Graduate Teaching Assistantship and Graduate Research Assistantship. I
also received much needed financial support for my research trips to India through Mary
Routledge scholarship, GTA and SOGS bursaries. I thank all the funding agencies at The
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University of Western Ontario for making extensive travel possible during my PhD
research.
This project would not have been possible without the assistance and
resourcefulness of the staff at many libraries. People at the D.B. Weldon library in
Western, Robarts and UTSC libraries in University of Toronto, and libraries in
Jawaharlal Nehru University can never be thanked enough for their cooperation. The
interlibrary loan staff at Weldon deserves special mention for bringing the world to my
tiny carrel in the library. It still amazes me to think that there was not a single text or a
document, no matter how obscure, that the interlibrary loan services could not procure
during the years of my research. I have special thanks for David Murphy in Weldon for
not only getting me each and every book I ever wanted, but also sharing my passion for
the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. And I can never forget Mallik Sir in JNU library for
sharing his enthusiasm for writers while helping me look for books. People like him
always reaffirmed my faith in the world of letters.
I also extend my gratitude towards the faculty and staff of the University of
Toronto Scarborough where I have been teaching for the last two years. Prof. Bill Bowen,
Chair of the Humanities Department, helped me achieve the balance of teaching and
research. As a new faculty member, I will always remain indebted to the help extended
by Laurel Wheeler, Joanne Hunter, Milene Neves, Monica Hretsina, Urooj Khan and
Arthus Bihis. A special thanks to Libbie Mills, Isolde Dyson and Nizar Hermes for
reminding me to finish my dissertation. Libbie continues to be a great colleague and her
enthusiasm for Indian history surpasses mine. Jayeeta Sharma and Dan Bender are not
only wonderful colleagues, but they also give a sense of family in Toronto with their
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endless offers of dinners and evenings together. Their daughter, Piya, has been a
delightful new addition to these festivities.
Less immediate, but no less important, have been the contributions of my
professors in Jawaharlal Nehru University. From Prof. Vasant Gadre, I learnt that only
great research or teaching does not define an academic career. His sensitivity towards
students and their idiosyncrasies will always remain with me. I will remain indebted to
Prof. Kapil Kapoor for igniting my interest in an academic career in the first place.
Words fail to describe the importance of Prof. Franson Manjali in my academic career.
Without him as a mentor, I would not have undertaken this rewarding and arduous
journey to a PhD degree. His involvement and confidence in my work will always remind
me of the vital role a teacher can play in a student’s life.
Many friendships in Canada kept me going despite pangs of homesickness from
time to time. Muriel gave me my first laptop after watching me slog away at papers in the
University computer rooms. Aviva, Iulia and Katrina provided the much needed
emotional support and camaraderie. Titir and Avisekh kept an open house throughout my
PhD years. Chandrima and Anil, comrades from JNU days, were there to help me from
the day I landed in Toronto. More recently, Paul broke the monotony of teaching and
writing with his eccentric art lessons. And Dayal continues to have blind faith in his Didi.
My gang of friends from JNU is perhaps the most difficult to thank in this
acknowledgement. My friendship with them extends way back in time and this
dissertation would have never got finished without their invisible presence and prodding.
Though scattered around the world today, they are and will always remain in the kitchen
cabinet of my mind. Sanghamitra and Gurmeet were the best roommates one could ever
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wish for and were always ready to submit to my tyranny. One cannot find a greater next-
door roommate than Dola. Her effervescence could bring sunlight to the darkest of days
and dispel all worries with one oye! She continues to be my favorite cheerleader and
neighbor by living across the border. Amrita, the greatest mind of all, deserves special
thanks for not being cerebral around us at all and being always apologetic for her superior
intellectual acumen. Archana and Bharti were always there with open door of their rooms
and they continue to offer the same hospitality with their homes. Mridu and Anu. Words
were always an awkward medium between us. The countless days and nights of doing
absolutely nothing still makes me want to travel back in time and never return to the
present. There is much more I would like to thank you for, but I know you will
understand my silence.
Although family members do not ask for recognition, it is always a great pleasure
to share this sense of accomplishment with them. Rashid and Farheena gave their
unconditional support and love at all times. I received limitless generosity and emotional
stability from Abid and Shinjini over the years. I thank you both for your unwavering
faith and confidence in me. I also thank Tara Pande for being more than a family and
providing me with all the comforts of home. Her unrivaled cooking, her knowledge of
Hindi literature and her enthusiasm for theatre are few things I can only hope to have one
day. My greatest sense of gratitude is towards my grandmothers, Akhtari and Mashhadi
Begum, for fighting social perceptions of their times and making sure that each and every
girl in the family got the best possible education. I wish they were here to see the first
woman in the family with a PhD degree.
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