empire

The ‘invisibility’ of Muslim Women: Locating Muslim Women’s Voices in the History of Modern South Asia

Sabera Bhayat Leave a comment

With the rise of women’s history and the history of gender in the late twentieth century, feminist scholars and historians have contributed significantly to the body of knowledge regarding Indian women’s history. This has included women’s activities in both the nationalist and women’s movements, as well as feminist initiatives in social reform and the uplift … Continue reading The ‘invisibility’ of Muslim Women: Locating Muslim Women’s Voices in the History of Modern South Asia

Missionary Journals and a Rhetoric of Rescue: The Church of England Zenana Missionary Society and India’s Women (1880-1940)

Sabera Bhayat 2 Comments

Christian female missionaries played a prominent role in the spread and development of female education in colonial India. The missionary aim of ‘evangelisation through education’ placed literacy and learning high on the agenda of ‘women’s work for women’.[1] Such work and its attendant successes, setbacks, obstacles, and failures, were extensively recorded by female missionaries, and … Continue reading Missionary Journals and a Rhetoric of Rescue: The Church of England Zenana Missionary Society and India’s Women (1880-1940)

To what degree can we recover the voices of empires’ subalterns?

Sabera Bhayat Leave a comment

Recent historical scholarship has increasingly focused on looking at ‘history from below’ to recover voices from the past that have largely been ignored in grand historical narratives. This interest in illiterate groups has encouraged historians to explore a wider variety of sources, in order to recover the ‘history of ordinary people’s lives, and to some … Continue reading To what degree can we recover the voices of empires’ subalterns?

How Important is ‘Colonial’ Nationalism in Shaping Decolonisation?

Sabera Bhayat Leave a comment

Nationalism played a significant role in many historical processes of decolonisation. This was particularly apparent in the decolonisation of colonies such as India, Angola and the Thirteen British colonies of America. But the extent to which nationalism played a prominent role in shaping decolonisation is debatable. Nationalism can be defined as the aspirations common to … Continue reading How Important is ‘Colonial’ Nationalism in Shaping Decolonisation?