Islam and the Army in Colonial India

Abstract

After what seems like a strange absence of academic interest, the study of Muslims in South Asia is catching up – and not all of that interest is motivated by the contemporary concerns of counter-terrorism and Af-Pak strategy. Part of this intellectual revival has been focused on the Deccan, and one of the best and brightest young historians working in the area is Nile Green, who now teaches at UCLA. The author posits three primary contributions to wider historiographical debates. First, it engages the social history of how empire impinged upon communities and practices and often co-opted and promoted them, thereby allowing us greater insight into its workings to suggest that partnerships were essential to perpetuating power, especially in India, where the number of actual British soldiers and administrators on the ground was never sufficient for an absolutist colonial empire. As such, it allows us to peek into an alternative form of subaltern interaction and agency. This is significant, given the neglect to a large extent of the study of religion on the part of subalternists. Second, the book demonstrates how cultural practices and the invention of norms were central to fostering military culture and performance of the British Indian Army, which involves the selective promotion of certain forms of religiosity. It provides further evidence for ...