Reading Information

Bernard Cohn, “Chapter 3: Laws and the Colonial State In India,” Colonialism and Its Forms of Knowledge”

Overview

The third chapter discusses a crucial part of the colonization process, the creation of laws and government within India. India was rather large in size and population. Their government and laws were formed out religion. What was different in India that British settlers weren’t accustomed to was a pre-established government. Ultimately the main conflict that arose was which nations laws would be used? Cohn explains throughout the chapter that the British had decided to learn what exactly were the Indian laws, translate them into English, and begin to better understand those laws. Interestingly enough, Cohn explains how many Brits made it through India translating and interpreting Indian laws, and some of them had differing views. For instance, H.T. Colebrooke “completed a translation of Jones’ Digest (Sir William Jones)” and “developed a quite different perception of the nature and function of Hindu Law” (Cohn 72). It was a common trend for English settlers to begin to read and translate Hindu works of religion and law. The chapter also discusses the formation of the East India Company. It was the central power in control of the territory of India. Warren Hastings was described to be as one of the more influential individuals during the colonization of India because of his role as governor/governor of the territory.

Keywords

Despot- the definite relationship between ruler and ruled.

Collector- individual responsible for portraying the British ideologies in India.

Mimamasa- the method of taking multiple texts and applying different interpretations to them. A form of argumentation or debate.

Argument

The British were extremely enlightened about what they found out when intensely studying the Hindu Law and the Indian government. Their enlightenment led to different interpretations of their law. “Jones, and especially his successor, Colebrooke, established a European conception of the nature of Hindu Law that was to influence the whole course of British and Indo-British thought and institutions dealing with the administration of justice down to the present.” (Cohn 71)

Evidence

The evidence Cohn uses to support his or her arguments is his explanation of how the British began to translate the Hindu works to better understand their form of law. He explains how interpreters such as William Jones and H.T. Colebrooke were able to gain a keen understanding of the Indian law. I think this evidence is reliable because these particular writers were able to become experts on Sanskrit, which proved to be an integral part of the Indian history. It does indeed effectively support the author’s argument.

Historiographical Debate

Cohn does explicitly state the work of other scholars. In this chapter he references Sir William Jones, Digest. He does not take a particular stance he just mentions the piece.

Contribution to Our Understanding of a Colonial Rule.

This chapter was another important stepping stone helping me better under colonial rule. The main viewpoint I took out of this reading was that the British took a different stance upon colonizing India. They were insistent on understanding the Indian culture and laws in depth. This reading showed me how different individuals, even successors, can have different viewpoints when interpreting a cultures works. I learned you can tell a lot about a culture by looking through their history and comprehending where their values come from. The British colonial rule of India, on the surface, seemed to be rather graceful because they were looking to intellectually connect with the Indian people, rather than hostilely take over them