Cruelty Contested: The British, Bengalis, and Animals in Colonial Bengal, 1850-1920

This dissertation evaluates the nature of cross-cultural interface between the British and the Bengalis in nineteenth and twentieth-century Bengal as studied through the lens of animal cruelty. My project analyzes how discourses of cruelty against domestic animals - in veterinary, dietary, and trans...

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Other Authors: Samanta, Samiparna (authoraut)
Format: Others
Language:English
English
Published: Florida State University
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Online Access:http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-5953
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spelling ndltd-fsu.edu-oai-fsu.digital.flvc.org-fsu_2535302020-06-19T03:09:10Z Cruelty Contested: The British, Bengalis, and Animals in Colonial Bengal, 1850-1920 Samanta, Samiparna (authoraut) Davis, Frederick R. (professor directing dissertation) Erndl, Kathleen (university representative) Liebeskind, Claudia (committee member) Hanley, Will (committee member) Upchurch, Charles (committee member) Department of History (degree granting department) Florida State University (degree granting institution) Text text Florida State University Florida State University English eng 1 online resource computer application/pdf This dissertation evaluates the nature of cross-cultural interface between the British and the Bengalis in nineteenth and twentieth-century Bengal as studied through the lens of animal cruelty. My project analyzes how discourses of cruelty against domestic animals - in veterinary, dietary, and transport registers - became a ground on which the ethics of colonial relations were worked out in Bengal between 1850 and 1920. By investigating the activities of the Calcutta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, examining court cases against animals, and studying Bengali voices, I argue that late 19th and early 20th century debates concerning animals betrayed less protectionism, but reflected in microcosm the existing class distinctions and race anxieties. I further demonstrate that the colonial project of animal protection mirrored an irony in that it exposed the disjunction between the claims of a benevolent colonial state and a powerful, not-too- benign reality in which the colonial state constantly sought to control, subjugate and discipline its subjects--human and non-human. In short, I intend to use the lens of animal cruelty to write a social history of colonial Calcutta as expressed through some human-animal encounters like epizootics, vegetarianism, and carter strikes. A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Summer Semester, 2012. June 28, 2012. Includes bibliographical references. Frederick R. Davis, Professor Directing Dissertation; Kathleen Erndl, University Representative; Claudia Liebeskind, Committee Member; Will Hanley, Committee Member; Charles Upchurch, Committee Member. History FSU_migr_etd-5953 http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-5953 This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu%3A253530/datastream/TN/view/Cruelty%20Contested.jpg
collection NDLTD
language English
English
format Others
sources NDLTD
topic History
spellingShingle History
Cruelty Contested: The British, Bengalis, and Animals in Colonial Bengal, 1850-1920
description This dissertation evaluates the nature of cross-cultural interface between the British and the Bengalis in nineteenth and twentieth-century Bengal as studied through the lens of animal cruelty. My project analyzes how discourses of cruelty against domestic animals - in veterinary, dietary, and transport registers - became a ground on which the ethics of colonial relations were worked out in Bengal between 1850 and 1920. By investigating the activities of the Calcutta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, examining court cases against animals, and studying Bengali voices, I argue that late 19th and early 20th century debates concerning animals betrayed less protectionism, but reflected in microcosm the existing class distinctions and race anxieties. I further demonstrate that the colonial project of animal protection mirrored an irony in that it exposed the disjunction between the claims of a benevolent colonial state and a powerful, not-too- benign reality in which the colonial state constantly sought to control, subjugate and discipline its subjects--human and non-human. In short, I intend to use the lens of animal cruelty to write a social history of colonial Calcutta as expressed through some human-animal encounters like epizootics, vegetarianism, and carter strikes. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Summer Semester, 2012. === June 28, 2012. === Includes bibliographical references. === Frederick R. Davis, Professor Directing Dissertation; Kathleen Erndl, University Representative; Claudia Liebeskind, Committee Member; Will Hanley, Committee Member; Charles Upchurch, Committee Member.
author2 Samanta, Samiparna (authoraut)
author_facet Samanta, Samiparna (authoraut)
title Cruelty Contested: The British, Bengalis, and Animals in Colonial Bengal, 1850-1920
title_short Cruelty Contested: The British, Bengalis, and Animals in Colonial Bengal, 1850-1920
title_full Cruelty Contested: The British, Bengalis, and Animals in Colonial Bengal, 1850-1920
title_fullStr Cruelty Contested: The British, Bengalis, and Animals in Colonial Bengal, 1850-1920
title_full_unstemmed Cruelty Contested: The British, Bengalis, and Animals in Colonial Bengal, 1850-1920
title_sort cruelty contested: the british, bengalis, and animals in colonial bengal, 1850-1920
publisher Florida State University
url http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-5953
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