«Asian Backstage Diplomacy» in Building Bridges Between the USSR and Great Britain in 1924

В статье исследуется роль и место «азиатской периферии» в период установления британо-российских отношений в 1924 г. Британские архивные документы позволяют сделать вывод о сохранявшейся значимости для британской стороны действий СССР в сопредельных с британской Индией странах. Одновременно британские дипломатические службы и разведывательное сообщество обращало особое внимание на складывавшуюся в советской Центральной Азии обстановку с целью выяснения возможного её влияния на британские позиции в регионе, а также советское продвижение на Восток в приграничные государства. В статье делается вывод о стремлении лейбористского правительства Макдональда избежать обострения взаимоотношений с СССР во имя достижения главной цели – подписания и ратификации договоров с Москвой несмотря на очевидные активные действия последней в индийском прикордонье. Автор приводит документальные свидетельства и оценки британскими дипломатами, а также военными действий СССР как в самой Центральной Азии, где советское руководство начинало проводить новую национально-территориальную политику, так и в приграничных с ней странах. The study examines the role of the Asian periphery in the establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Great Britain in 1924. British archival documents suggest that the United Kingdom regarded Soviet activities in countries bordering British India as extremely important. At the same time, the British foreign office and intelligence were paying close attention to the situation that was unfolding in Soviet Central Asia, trying to assess its impact on the British standing in the region, as well as the possible Soviet expansion eastwards into the neighboring countries. The article concludes that MacDonald's Labour government wanted to avoid confrontation with the USSR in order to attain its main goal — signing and ratifying agreements with the Soviet state, despite it being rather active near the borders of India. The author cites documents and assessments by British diplomats and military officers. These sources cover both Soviet actions in Central Asia itself, where the USSR leadership was beginning to pursue a new national and territorial policy, as well as in the countries bordering that region.

Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar’s Thoughts on Economy Reform

In this chapter, I have analyzed economic thoughts of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, mainly economic ideas reflected in his writings such as, ‘The Problem of Rupee: Its origin and its solution’, ‘The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India: A Study in the Provincial Decentralization of imperial finance’, It can be said that Indian economy at present is facing many problems similar to that at the time of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as instability of money leading to inflation, its socioeconomic implications and its unequal effects on various strata of society, uneconomical public expenditure and rising fiscal deficits, increasing inequalities of income and wealth, and so on. Are Ambedkar’s economic thoughts relevant to understand these problems as well as to provide its solutions? Analyzing his economic ideology, it can be said that India could have been more inclusive if his ideas had been followed in its true spirit. So we can say that India needs to follow his economic ideology in her short term as well as long term economic planning and policy making to shape Inclusive India.

Re-Presenting the Past in the Hindi Novel: The Darkness in Bhīṣma Sāhnī’s Tamas

While the modern literary novel in Hindi has traditionally grappled with contemporary issues impacting society in north India, Bhīṣma Sāhnī’s famous novel Tamas (“Darkness”) may be considered a unique endavour to revisit the horrific events that marked the transfer of power and partition of British India in 1947. This article represents a preliminary attempt to consider the emergence of a work of literary fiction in Hindi approximately 25 years after the events on which it is based.

A Nineteenth-Century Blueprint for Recasting the Muslim Mindset in British India

The reformist endeavour famously known as the Aligarh Movement, initiated by the prominent Muslim intellectual Sir Sayyid Aḥmad Ḫān in the wake of the fateful happenings of 1857, indisputably represents a significant modernist movement among Indian Muslims in nineteenth-century British India. Despite having a limited base among the community, given its elitist character, the role that this movement played in shaping the Muslims’ destiny during the twentieth century cannot be overstated. As a reformist project, this movement set as its main objective the remodelling of the Muslim mindset as well as the resuscitation of the hitherto moribund community to bring it back to the mainstream. In line with this intention, the reform-minded Sayyid Aḥmad put forward an elaborate three-pronged scheme. This article, therefore, seeks to shed light on the Aligarh’s ambitious programme which targeted every aspect of Muslim life, political, religious and socio-cultural.

Reconstruction of Dhaka City in the 18th Century by the Nawab Family in the Light of Islamic Civilization

The Khwaja family of Dhaka having obtained the title of 'Nawab' from the Government of British India reconstructed the city of Dhaka in the 18th century following the light of Islamic civilization. ‘Knowledge’ and ‘charity’ were the basic foundation of Islamic civilization. Similarly, In islamic civilization it was the regular activities to maintain sustainable public welfare oriented architecture. The contemporary period of the Nawab family, they made name and fame for themselves to perform their humanitarian activities. Through business income they developed a waqf system and spent it for various welfare purposes such as: patronage of modern education, institutions, medicine and technology; assistance to the people who were suffering in natural calamities in national and international arena, and they maintained friendship with government bureaucrats. In Islamic civilization we see various attributes such as: human rights, freedom of thought and practicing religion, Muslim family bondage, social welfare, medicine, orphanage, architecture, aesthetics of utensils, library, beauty of modern and scientific discoveries, beauty of environment, gardening, characteristic beauty, fine taste etc. In the eighteenth century, we found similar characteristics in Dhaka City which inspired us to compare the ‘Dhaka city’ reconstruction according to the light of ‘Islamic civilization’. If we see the nature of muslim’s city in medieavel period around the globe, then we found similar features. In this article we try to learn the hidden power of the Nawab family which led them to ‘reconstruct’ the `Dhaka city' through the exploration of various historical books, to see the current activities of their organization, trustees and observing their way of life.

Republican Citizenship in French Colonial Pondicherry, 1870-1914

This work of historical sociology revisits and analyses the earlier part of the Third Republic (1870-1914), when France granted citizenship rights to Indians in Pondicherry. It explores the nature of this colonial citizenship and enables comparisons with British India, especially the Madras Presidency, as well as the rest of the French empire, as a means of demonstrating how unique the practice of granting such rights was. The difficulties of implementing a new political culture based on the language of rights and participatory political institutions were not so much rooted in a lack of assimilation into the French culture on the part of the Indian population; rather, they were the result of political infighting and long-term conflicts over status, both in relation to caste and class, and between inclusive and exclusive visions of French citizenship.

Impact of Imperial Discourses on Changing Subjectivities in Core and Periphery: A Study of British India and British Nigeria

Eurocentric imperialism incorporated the non-European geographical region in the economic and political milieu of Europe and made the world a global whole. To Mitchel Foucault, the process started with endo-colonization of European people and advent of rational governance exercises experimented first in European states and later exported to non-western regions. The study aims to analyze the different outcomes of European governmentality in European core and non-European periphery and changing subjectivities and cognitions in non-European world with ruptures accompanied by European modernity. The theoretical frame and conceptual toolkit of Archaeology/Genealogy, Governmentality, Power/knowledge etc. are borrowed from Michel Foucault the postmodern historian of ideas. For analytical purpose, the concept of Archeological historicity is linked with World System approach as employed by Lenin and Immanuel Wallerstein. The analytical scheme is to describe events in longue durée from sixteenth century; record shifts in the core Europe, and parallel shifts in peripheral colonial/postcolonial world, to understand the material and discursive conditions of existence. The finding of research is that events and processes lead to different outcomes in core and periphery. A two-level comparison is made: the comparison of European Core with two peripheral regions, i.e., British India and British Nigeria and comparison of two peripheral regions incorporated in the world system as reservoirs of raw material and market

The Dynamics of Canal Colonies; Agricultural Development and Socio-Political Change in British Multan

Punjab was the last province which annexed with British India in 1949.British implemented many reforms in sub-continent, but Canal Colonies were excellent irrigation system introduced by the British, especially in the south west part of the Punjab province. These canal colonies proved very useful for the agriculture sector which boost up the not only the economic condition of the native people of the colonies areas but also increase revenue collection of the British government in India. Canal Colonies changed the arid/ barren land of the southern district of the province into a fertile land. British government also achieved their objectives through canal colonies. Therefore, government allotted the land of the canal colonies in different categories and rewarded some specific classes in native communities of the canal colonies. In canal colonies government reserved huge piece of land for their military objective because Indian Military was necessary for the strong law and order in British India and their strong influence in Middle East and other parts of the world. These canal colonies bring an agriculture revolution in the province which change the socio-economic condition of the people of the native districts. In Multan three major canal colonies were introduced, Sidhnai, Lower Bari Doab and Nili Bar canal colony. In these canal colonies British government also implemented same polices like the previous canal colonies of the province. Therefore, the in Multan district landed elites were loyal and cooperative with government with their wealth and men. These landed elites played important role at political canvas of the province during British rule in Multan.