Orientalism and Race: Aryanism in the British Empire (Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies)

This study traces the emergence and dissemination of Aryanism within the British Empire. The idea of an Aryan race became an important feature of imperial culture in the nineteenth century, feeding into debates in Britain, Ireland, India, and the Pacific. The global reach of the Aryan idea reflected the complex networks that enabled the global reach of British Imperialism. Tony Ballantyne charts the shifting meanings of Aryanism within these 'webs' of Empire. This study of British colonialism examines the place of the idea of an Aryan race in cultural and political debtes within the British Empire from the 1760s through to the early twentieth century. An Aryan Empire traces the shifting interpretations of Aryansim, from its 'discovery' in Sanskrit tradition through to its prominent role in nationalist ideologies. Aryanism was not only a powerful idea in India and Britain, but it also became an important framework for discussions of Polynesian culture. But, asAn Aryan Empire demonstrates, indigenous groups found novel ways to rework this idea and constructed a powerful new vision of their past, present, and future. Most importantly, this study shows that debates over identity within the empire were energized by a complex series of imperial networks and cultural exchanges. These 'webs' of empire lie at the heart of this book Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction: Aryanism and the Webs of Empire....Pages 1-17 The Emergence of Aryanism: Company Orientalism, Colonial Governance and Imperial Ethnology....Pages 18-55 Indocentrism on the New Zealand Frontier: Geographies of Race, Empire and Nation....Pages 56-82 Systematizing Religion: from Tahiti to the Tat Khalsa....Pages 83-117 ‘Hello Ganesha!’: Indocentrism and the Interpretation of Maori Religion....Pages 118-145 Print, Literacy and the Recasting of Maori Identities....Pages 146-168 The Politics of Language, Nation and Race: Hindu Identities in the Late Nineteenth Century....Pages 169-187 Conclusion: Knowledge, Empire, Globalization....Pages 188-196 Back Matter....Pages 197-266 This is the undisputed best introduction to the history of the world-wide pattern of British activity in the nineteenth century, embracing its expansive spirit as well as its formal territorial empire. The dynamics of this extraordinary enterprise are considered broadly: the high-political concerns of strategy and international geopolitics are analyzed, as well as the economic dimension, missionary activity, and racial attitudes, together with a wide range of cultural aspects, including sport and the pursuit of sexual opportunity. Nor is the personal contribution of some of the leading Victorian figures neglected Orientalism and Race is a trailblazing transnational study of the relationship between racism and imperialism, tracing the emergence and dissemination of Aryanism within the British Empire. The global reach of the Aryan idea reflected the complex networks that enabled the global reach of British Imperialism The Idea Of An Aryan Race Became An Important Feature Of Imperial Culture In The 19th Century, Feeding Into Debates In Britain, Ireland, India, And The Pacific. This Study Traces The Emergence And Dissemination Of Aryanism Within The British Empire. Eric Wolf's insistence that historical writing should unravel the 'bundles of relationships' that constituted the past underpins this study of the complex networks that constituted the British empire.