Colonising the penal body: transit of the convicts from Bengal to the Malay Peninsula

Abstract

Purpose – The British East India Company (EIC) made connections between the Malay Archipelago and Bengal and established a penal settlement at Bencoolen, followed by the Straits Settlements for the Indian convicts. The convicts from different parts of South Asia today were generally described as “Indian”, such generalisation often hides the identity of specific convicts from South Asia. Among the Indian convicts, the Bengalis were transported to Bencoolen and the Straits Settlements. However, the generic term has made it difficult to reconstruct the history of Bengali convicts’ experiences and pathos. Therefore, this paper attempts to “rediscover” the afterlife of transportation of Bengali felons in the Malay Peninsula. Design/methodology/approach – By examining a range of archival records and current scholarships, this article shows the inclusivity, diversity and accessibility of convict labourers with mainstream society. This study will open up a new avenue of convict histories and subaltern studies on Asia. Findings – The Bengali convicts in the Straits Settlements, one of the oldest migrant sections, have largely been ignored in historical literature. Though the Bengalis, among other South Asian convicts, constituted a significant portion, they were categorised under the generic term “Indian” (Rai, 2014). Their manual labour was invaluable for the colonial economy and the development of the Straits Settlements. Research limitations/implications – Researcher faced difficulties to get the descendant of Bengali convicts. Originality/value – This article is a research paper based on mostly archival records; therefore, it is an original contribution to the existing knowledge on the convict history.

Keywords

• South Asian convict
• Bengali convict
• Racial Capitalism
• Malay Peninsula
• Straits Settlements