Reading Information
Bernard S. Cohn, “Introduction,” Colonialism and Its Forms of Knowledge
Overview
Before the eighteenth century, power in a state was exercised through grand processions and rituals such as coronations and funerals. These were led by people such as priests, artists, and historians who specialized in the expression power. After the eighteenth century, the way in which European states power expressed their power took on different forms. Besides rituals and processions, the way power was shown took a “boots on the ground” form. They made distinctions between the private and public spheres, classified the different groups in a population, recorded the sale of property, and more. These new procedures tried to record most aspects of a person’s daily life. For the emerging imperial power that was Great Britain, India, its most important colony, became a place in which these new ways to express power were tested. India also became testing grounds for policies that later were implemented in Great Britain.
Cohn goes on to describe the investigative modalities used by the British to collect data. These investigative modalities are comprised of the definition of what information is needed, the procedure in which the information is gathered, and how the information is transformed into useful data (such as into reports, legal codes, encyclopedias, etc.) Some of these investigative modalities are explained below in the keywords section. The “Introduction” chapter tells us how Great Britain implemented their own ways of thinking and record keeping to keep India under their control. They needed to understand the people, language, and area to implement policies that the British were accustomed to and used the investigative modalities to utilize the data and information they obtained.
Keywords
- Investigative Modality – Different forms of investigation taken on by the British to learn more about India; they could create their own official documents from the knowledge they gained.
- Survey Modality – This form of investigation came through mapping the land, collecting botanical specimens, recording architectural/archaeological sites, and recording the measurements of plots of lands. The survey modality was used to create things such as the “Survey of India” led by George Lambton.
- Travel Modality – This form of investigation came through the travel accounts of tourists and of tradespeople. The accounts change over time to reflect the different political climates and show what the British deemed as important enough to record.
Argument
The British used investigative modalities to learn about India’s geography, history, customs, language, and more. With the information they gained, they were able to interpret and publish their own reports as well as create legal codes to exercise their power over India (Cohn p. 5).
Evidence
Cohn gives us many different examples of investigative modalities that he will use throughout the book. For each, he does include real accounts. For the survey modality, he uses the “Survey of India” which was used to map India as a grid to make it easier for the British to locate any site they needed. He gives us examples of surveyors – James Rennall, William Lambton, Alexander Cunningham, etc. For the enumerative modality, Cohn describes the 1881 census which not only included population numbers, but information on the caste system, religions, and economic structure. I do think the sources Cohn discusses are reliable because they are the firsthand accounts of what the British recorded. This can further his argument on how they recorded things they thought were useful to emphasize British customs in India.
Historiographical Debate
I am not sure how the author is situating himself in a wider scholarly debate.
Contribution to Our Understanding of Colonial Rule
Cohn’s introductory chapter is useful in understanding how the British were able to gain their information on India. It gives real examples such as land surveys, which puts the effort by the British into perspective. Rather than just defining colonialism, this chapter gives us a real scenario to examine. As a reader, I begin to learn the different investigative modalities, which will appear throughout the book. He also introduces important documents such as the census and some legal codes. This begins to show the reader that the British used the information they gathered in order to shape new policies as well as laws to reflect the British ideals – not just Indian values. The British had to first understand the society that they wanted complete control over, before actually changing the fabric of the society. This meant learning the language and familiarizing themselves with the different religions, regions, and people through the various investigative modalities.