Papers by Belkacem Belmekki
ATLANTIS Journal of the Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies, 2024
Imperial apologists often ascribe Britain’s construction of its huge empire in the past to
the ... more Imperial apologists often ascribe Britain’s construction of its huge empire in the past to
the noble urge to bring modernity and the benefits of Western civilization to less fortunate
Africans and Asians, an enterprise historically named ‘civilizing mission’. These scholars
tend to support their assertion by highlighting the achievements accomplished throughout
the colonies, especially the spread of modern education among the natives as well as social
reformism. Nonetheless, this position has been vehemently counter-argued by critics of
empire, who cast doubt on the very genuineness of such a presumed altruistic drive. As
such, within the framework of this controversial issue, this article attempts to reconsider
the notion of benevolence as a central theme in the imperial discourse within the context of
British India.
Keywords: British Empire; civilizing mission; education; social reform; cultural imperialism;
British India
Journal of Asian and African studies, Feb 15, 2024
This article seeks to highlight the extent to which recounting historical narratives can determin... more This article seeks to highlight the extent to which recounting historical narratives can determine the nature of relations between racial and ethnic groups, through examining the case of Muslims and Hindus in British India. Throughout the 19th century, the process of the religious communalization of the subcontinent was set in motion, which ultimately led to the bifurcation of the local society into two self-conscious, mutually antagonistic groups: a Hindu majority versus a Muslim minority. This study argues that such schism would not have taken place without the instrumentalization of a colonially ‘constructed’ past by Hindu communalists who, in the process of mobilizing their co-religionists through mythmaking and a hostile discourse fraught with subjectively interpreted historical facts, alienated the members of the other group. This article also underscores that besides imperial scholars, Hindutva activists should bear the historical responsibility for the divide.
Anthropos, 2023
Notwithstanding the fundamental socio-cultural cum religious divergences existing between the Mus... more Notwithstanding the fundamental socio-cultural cum religious divergences existing between the Muslims and Hindus, the two religious groups managed to forge bonds of fraternity based on mutual understanding and respect thanks to their centuries-long overall peaceful co-existence in the Indian environment. This virtually harmonious relationship soon gave birth to a composite culture whereby many of the Muslim-Hindu differences were blunted and replaced by shared socio-cultural – and sometimes even religious – aspects of life. Yet, the second half of the nineteenth century witnessed a reversal of this trend. In fact, the post-Revolt context in British India was marked by the emergence of consciousness among the Muslims whereby they developed a sense of belonging to a cultural entity that was different from that of the Hindus. In other words, these “Muhammadans” became actively conscious of their cultural differences vis-à-vis the Hindus, and therefore, saw themselves as a separate group with distinct cultural traits. This shift towards cultural exclusivism, which eventually gave rise to a separatist tendency among them, has been a moot point that drew a great deal of interest among scholars who provided different interpretations. In this article, the main task is to look into whether the British had any involvement in this new development on the Indian scene.
[Indian Muslims, Hindus, Urdu, Hindi, divide et impera, language controversy]
Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - SHS, Sep 1, 2013
Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - SHS, Apr 1, 2007
Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences
A great deal of research has been devoted to the explanation of the phenomenon of Muslim separati... more A great deal of research has been devoted to the explanation of the phenomenon of Muslim separatism/communalism in British India. In the main, scholars have been divided between, on the one hand, the Primordialists (such as Francis Robinson) who argued that this separatist tendency was an inevitable corollary pre-ordained from pre-modern times given the fundamental distinctions between the Muslim culture and the Hindu one, and on the other hand, the Instrumentalists (such as Paul Brass), who saw in this separatism nothing more than a stratagem orchestrated by the Muslim elite in order to safeguard their interests. This article, however, is an attempt to look at Muslim separatism from a different angle, that of fear of the Hindu majority.
Junta Administrativa, 2011
It is useless to deal with the experience of the Indian community in South Africa without referri... more It is useless to deal with the experience of the Indian community in South Africa without referring to the person of mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a distinguished Indian intellectual and leader. Setting out the circumstances that led this Indian law school graduate to enter the South African scene requires, first of all, a sketchy description of the experience that the Indian community went through in that part of Africa by the last half of the 19th century.
Contrary to the widespread belief that the Muslim community in British India unanimously champion... more Contrary to the widespread belief that the Muslim community in British India unanimously championed the idea of separatism in the Subcontinent, there were, after all, some key figures among them who opposed this tendency wholeheartedly. This paper seeks to set out the example of a prominent Muslim leader, Badruddin Tyabji (1844-1906), a lawyer and later a judge, who had a different conception as to the lot of his coreligionists in the Indian Subcontinent.
Revista de Antropología y Sociología: Virajes, 2022
The Urdu language, alternatively known as Hindustani, enjoyed the status of a lingua franca in th... more The Urdu language, alternatively known as Hindustani, enjoyed the status of a lingua franca in the Indian subcontinent due to the fact that it was a common medium of expression used by Indians regardless of their faith. However, around the mid-nineteenth century, mutations on the Indian scene were to pose a challenge to this status which rendered this language an exclusively Islamic one. Therefore, this paper seeks to highlight the process of this transition-that is, from a common language used by all to a communal one-as well as the motivating forces behind such a change which, ultimately, led to the fragmentation of the country by the mid-twentieth century.
The British and the French differed in both the approach and method adopted in governing their ov... more The British and the French differed in both the approach and method adopted in governing their overseas subjects during their colonial enterprise in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This had a tremendous impact on the psyche of the colonized and was a determinant factor in shaping the nature of the relationship between the colonizers and colonized before and after independence. Therefore, this paper seeks to juxtapose the colonial behaviour of two colonial powers, French and British, in two major colonies, Algeria and India. When reading about the history of French involvement in Algeria and British involvement in India, one can hardly fail to realize the huge difference in the kind of colonial policies that were pursued in these two former colonies by both colonial powers, France and Britain. Indeed, French Algeria and British India were two totally different contexts where the legacy of colonialism is well reflected in the post-independence era. Therefore, the objective of ...
Oriente Moderno, 2021
The reformist endeavour famously known as the Aligarh Movement, initiated by the prominent Muslim... more The reformist endeavour famously known as the Aligarh Movement, initiated by the prominent Muslim intellectual Sir Sayyid Aḥmad Ḫān in the wake of the fateful happenings of 1857, indisputably represents a significant modernist movement among Indian Muslims in nineteenth-century British India. Despite having a limited base among the community, given its elitist character, the role that this movement played in shaping the Muslims’ destiny during the twentieth century cannot be overstated. As a reformist project, this movement set as its main objective the remodelling of the Muslim mindset as well as the resuscitation of the hitherto moribund community to bring it back to the mainstream. In line with this intention, the reform-minded Sayyid Aḥmad put forward an elaborate three-pronged scheme. This article, therefore, seeks to shed light on the Aligarh’s ambitious programme which targeted every aspect of Muslim life, political, religious and socio-cultural.
The British and the French differed in both the approach and method adopted in governing their ov... more The British and the French differed in both the approach and method adopted in governing their overseas subjects during their colonial enterprise in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This had a tremendous impact on the psyche of the colonized and was a determinant factor in shaping the nature of the relationship between the colonizers and colonized before and after independence. Therefore, this paper seeks to juxtapose the colonial behaviour of two colonial powers, French and British, in two major colonies, Algeria and India.
The Anthropology and Sociology Journal VIRAJES, 2022
The Urdu language, alternatively known as Hindustani, enjoyed the status of a lingua franca in th... more The Urdu language, alternatively known as Hindustani, enjoyed the status of a lingua franca in the Indian subcontinent due to the fact that it was a common medium of expression used by Indians regardless of their faith. However, around the mid-nineteenth century, mutations on the Indian scene were to pose a challenge to this status which rendered this language an exclusively Islamic one. Therefore, this paper seeks to highlight the process of this transition-that is, from a common language used by all to a communal one-as well as the motivating forces behind such a change which, ultimately, led to the fragmentation of the country by the mid-twentieth century.
Asian and African studies, 2021
The formation of the All-India Muslim League, the first ever Muslim political party in British In... more The formation of the All-India Muslim League, the first ever Muslim political party in British India to see the light of the day, represents a watershed in the political history of the Indian subcontinent. It was, in fact, the outcome of a long historical process during which the Muslims of India faced challenges at different levels, political, economic and socio-cultural. Yet, the origin of this political organisation has been a moot point among scholars. Did the British have a hand in its creation or was it a genuinely Muslim initiative? The aim of this article, therefore, is to investigate this issue as well as shed light on the circumstances that led to the birth of this party.
One of the thorniest issues that contemporary scholars of British India are faced with is that of... more One of the thorniest issues that contemporary scholars of British India are faced with is that of the genesis of the Indian National Congress (1885). While some of them believe that the foundation of this first major political party on an all-India basis was an inevitable corollary of the circumstances that prevailed in the South Asian Sub-continent as a result of British Raj, others have held opposing views. In fact, the latter, while championing the "safety-valve" theory, are convinced that the birth of this political organization was nothing more than a British stratagem aimed at forestalling an imminent popular uprising among the colonial subjects. Thus, the aim of this article is to set out the views and arguments of both camps of scholars.
Upon taking the reins of power in the South Asian Sub-continent, the East India Company officials... more Upon taking the reins of power in the South Asian Sub-continent, the East India Company officials, being aware of how sensitive Indians were of their socio-cultural traditions, adopted a policy of "non-interference" and kept aloof from all matters related to the socio-cultural and religious affairs of the local inhabitants. Instead, they busied themselves with the economic exploitation of the country, the objective for which they had come to the region. Nevertheless, following a vociferous clamour and pressure from the Christian missionaries who regarded the Indian people as "primitive" and "benighted", and who felt duty bound to "civilize" them, the British Government in London forced the East India Company in 1813 to forsake its, hitherto privileged, "no-interference policy" and give the evangelical movement unrestricted access to the country as an essential precondition for the renewal of the charter. Thus, upon setting foot in th...
Up to the nineteenth century, nothing had ever seriously threatened British rule in the Indian Su... more Up to the nineteenth century, nothing had ever seriously threatened British rule in the Indian Sub-continent the way the happenings of 1857 did. In fact, the East India Company officials there were caught unawares and unprepared for such an unexpected ordeal. As a result, shortly after the end of the hostilities, the British Government decided to rethink its policies in the region in order to avoid another similar catastrophe. This could be seen in the profound changes that London effected in the Sub-continent, mainly upon the request of Queen Victoria, who explicitly urged the Government of India, in her historic Proclamation of 1858, to adopt a different approach in governing her colonial subjects. Hence, the task in this article is to analyze the impact that the Great Revolt of 1857 had on British Raj.
La terre est bien plus qu’une question strategique, c’est une entite a part entiere, une entite p... more La terre est bien plus qu’une question strategique, c’est une entite a part entiere, une entite precieuse, qui a toujours suscite le respect des hommes et des femmes qui en ont la jouissance. Cependant, est-ce bien le cas aujourd’hui ? Nous tentons dans ce livre d’apporter quelque lumiere sur ces questions qui sont plus pregnantes que jamais, en reunissant plusieurs textes qui abordent le sujet dans son rapport a l’Inde et a l’Afrique. Ce lien puissant et tenu, quel estil, comment fonctionne-t-il ?
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Papers by Belkacem Belmekki
the noble urge to bring modernity and the benefits of Western civilization to less fortunate
Africans and Asians, an enterprise historically named ‘civilizing mission’. These scholars
tend to support their assertion by highlighting the achievements accomplished throughout
the colonies, especially the spread of modern education among the natives as well as social
reformism. Nonetheless, this position has been vehemently counter-argued by critics of
empire, who cast doubt on the very genuineness of such a presumed altruistic drive. As
such, within the framework of this controversial issue, this article attempts to reconsider
the notion of benevolence as a central theme in the imperial discourse within the context of
British India.
Keywords: British Empire; civilizing mission; education; social reform; cultural imperialism;
British India
[Indian Muslims, Hindus, Urdu, Hindi, divide et impera, language controversy]
the noble urge to bring modernity and the benefits of Western civilization to less fortunate
Africans and Asians, an enterprise historically named ‘civilizing mission’. These scholars
tend to support their assertion by highlighting the achievements accomplished throughout
the colonies, especially the spread of modern education among the natives as well as social
reformism. Nonetheless, this position has been vehemently counter-argued by critics of
empire, who cast doubt on the very genuineness of such a presumed altruistic drive. As
such, within the framework of this controversial issue, this article attempts to reconsider
the notion of benevolence as a central theme in the imperial discourse within the context of
British India.
Keywords: British Empire; civilizing mission; education; social reform; cultural imperialism;
British India
[Indian Muslims, Hindus, Urdu, Hindi, divide et impera, language controversy]