Cambridge University Press Colonial Justice in British India: White Violence and the Rule of Law: 17 (Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society, Series Number 17)

Colonial Justice in British India describes and examines the lesser-known history of white violence in colonial India. By foregrounding crimes committed by a mostly forgotten cast of European characters - planters, paupers, soldiers and sailors - Elizabeth Kolsky argues that violence was not an exceptional but an ordinary part of British rule in the subcontinent. Despite the pledge of equality, colonial legislation and the practices of white judges, juries and police placed most Europeans above the law, literally allowing them to get away with murder. The failure to control these unruly whites revealed how the weight of race and the imperatives of command imbalanced the scales of colonial justice. In a powerful account of this period, Kolsky reveals a new perspective on the British Empire in India, highlighting the disquieting violence that invariably accompanied imperial forms of power. Review '… this is an excellent book and a much-needed contribution to the historiography of British India.' The Journal of JRAS'… resonates with several dominant themes in historical research on British Imperialism … commands our attention.' S. M. Den Otter, Victorian Studies'… Kolsky succeeds admirably in connecting white criminality to the core subjects of colonial history, including ideologies of rule, the lived experience of colonial conflicts, and the discourses of anticolonial movements.' Law and History Review Book Description This book describes the lesser-known history of the violence and criminal conduct of one group of Europeans in British India. About the Author Elizabeth Kolsky is an Assistant Professor of History at Villanova University. She is co-editor of Fringes of Empire: People, Power and Places on the Margins of Colonial India (2009), author of many articles, and contributor to numerous books.