Overview
In the book Colonialism and its Forms of Knowledge, Bernard Cohn brings about an extremely descriptive and analytical approach to the settling of the British in the nation of India. From the beginning of the book, Cohn brings up the many different forms of modalities the British used in order to help their conquest of India a successful one. Through these modalities, the British were able to obtain understanding of the Mughal Law. One specific modality that proved to be integral part of the colonial expedition was the surveillance modality. It proved to be an important modality because the British “appear(ed) in the nineteenth century to have felt most comfortable surveying India from above and at a distance- from a horse, an elephant, a boat, or a train. They were uncomfortable in the narrow confines of a city street, a bazaar, a mela– anywhere they were surrounded by their Indian subjects. In their narratives of their lives and travels in India, few Indians are named other than royalty and personal servants. Indians who came under the imperial gaze were frequently made to appear in dress and demeanor as players in the British-constructed theater of power, their roles signaled by prescribed dress, their parts authored by varied forms of knowledge codified by rulers who sought to determine how loyal Indian subjects were to act in the scenes that the rulers had constructed. (Cohn, Colonialism, p. 10) The British tried to obtain some type of sociological order, but there were groups who were trying to disrupt this order. “These were people who appeared by their nature to wander beyond the boundaries of settled civil society: sannyasis, sadhus, fakirs, dacoits, goondas, thags, pastoralists, herder, and entertainers. The British constructed special instrumentalities to control those defined as beyond civil bounds, and carried out special investigations to provide the criteria by which whole groups would be stigmatized as criminal. (Cohn, Colonialism, pg. 10). However, modalities didn’t play much of a role in regards to Indian clothing. The British were very ignorant to how important clothing was to the Indians, which led to some rebellion on the Indians part. There was a huge indifference between the British and the Indians about how to dress, with the Indians having their traditions and customs on clothing stemming from their religious beliefs.
Throughout this exhibit you will see many pictures of interactions between the native people of India and the British settlers. The pictures are from the photo album entitled “The Northwest Frontier”. The album was loaded with images showing actual examples of the surveillance modality used by the British while in India. While looking at the images, it is important to pay particular attention to the clothing of the individuals in the images.
The bottom image above shows a prime example of the surveillance modality used by the British. If you look carefully at the bottom of the image you will see the British sitting on elephants. As mentioned previously in the overview and by Cohn, the British did not enjoy staying within the narrow streets or being amongst the Indian people, they enjoyed to show their authority over their subjects. They did so by riding high on their elephants or horses as a sign of strength and power.
http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF037711/00001/18j?search=northwest+%3dfrontier
The image depicted here is of extreme importance to the understanding of the British relationship with the people of India. In the image you will notice men, with beards, meditating while wearing turbans. These men are known as Sikhs. They are called Sikhs because they believe in Sikhism, a religion usually followed in the Northern part of India. The turbans are a vital part of their religion and really differentiates them from the rest of India.
http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF037711/00001/16j?search=northwest+%3dfrontier
The image above depicts the church of Tam Taran. Prior to the entry of British settlers in India, the country was predominately either Hindu, Muslim, or in the northern part, Sikhs. This picture proves the influence of the British settlers, who followed Christianity and their authority. As a colonial power, it was important for Great Britain to prove religious power and dominance, building a church on Indian soil is one way to start.
http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF037711/00001/24j?search=northwest+%3dfrontier
The image above depicts a very important dynamic of the Indian and British relationship. Choice of clothing proved to be a major disagreement point between the British and the people of India. As shown in the picture, one can see the Indians wearing their traditional robes while a British man wearing the customary British sartorial outfit. While in India, the British made it a point to stand out from their subjects. British clothing was a product of hand tailoring and craftsmanship with no ties to religion, meanwhile Indian clothing was of religious importance and influence
http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF037711/00001/23j?search=northwest+%3dfrontier
The image above is another excellent depiction of the differences in clothing. When British women arrived to India they were in absolute awe when they saw how the women dressed. Some British women even said that the Indian women “did not dress modest enough”. As clearly shown in the image, the Indian women were in robes and wraps the covered nearly every part of their bodies besides their faces. The British were clothed in fine gowns and hats, a clear showing of the wealth gap between the two. Like the men, the British women were insistent on trying to stand out from the Indian women and not assimilating to their dress.
http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF037711/00001/33j?search=northwest+%3dfrontier
Further Thoughts
When trying to understand the dynamic and complex relationship of the British and their subjects of India, reading Colonialism and its Forms of Knowledge by Bernard Cohn and looking at this exhibit would be extremely beneficial. Cohn provides an excellent detail of many aspects of the colonial conquest by the British in India. He brings up the different types of modalities used by the British in order to take over India more smoothly. He also discusses the few things that British learned when studying the Hindu and Mughal law. Cohn then insists on discussing a rather unconventional, but proved to be a rather important topic, clothing.
The exhibit shows a number of images in which the difference in clothing and the importance of clothing to the Indian people. The image with the Sikhs and their turbans, the way the Indian women dress compared to the British women, are some of the prime examples of the indifference shared between the British and the Indians. In addition, the British’s insistence on being the superior authority in the land by riding on horses and elephants was another aspect to not be overlooked. Overall, one can tell in the images that even some of the smiles in the pictures could be seen as fiction, the differences ultimately led to the downfall of British rule in India.
As a viewer, what do you think was the main reason for the fall of the British rule in India? Also what do you think the British could have done in order to keep mandated control over this nation?
References
Cohn, Bernard S. Colonialism and Its Forms of Knowledge the British in India.Princeton, NJ: Princeton U, 1996. Print.
http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF037711/00001/33j?search=northwest+%3dfrontier
http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF037711/00001/23j?search=northwest+%3dfrontier
http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF037711/00001/24j?search=northwest+%3dfrontier
http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF037711/00001/16j?search=northwest+%3dfrontier
http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF037711/00001/18j?search=northwest+%3dfrontier