Shows
German Historical Institute London PodcastRadhika Singha, Indra Sengupta and Kim König: Criminology and 'scientific' penology in India, 1894-1955In this GHIL Podcast episode host Kim König is joined by GHIL Senior Fellow and Head of the India Research Programme Indra Sengupta to talk to Radhika Singha about her recent GHIL lecture and her research on criminology and 'scientific' penology in India, 1894-1955. Their conversation touches on criminal and labour histories, and seeks to answer the question of how the history of colonial India can be written into broader global histories.2024-08-0116 min
German Historical Institute London PodcastRadhika Singha: International Penology in Colonial India: Too Advanced, Too American, Too Expensive?The Indian Jail Committee report of 1919–20 is often cast as the turning point in colonial penal policy, when reform and rehabilitation were added to deterrence. But it is also acknowledged that very little changed on the ground. Why after all did a cash-strapped, politically-besieged regime sponsor a globe-trotting tour of jails and reformatories? Why did the committee return to enthuse about ‘flexible or indeterminate sentencing’, a principle embraced in the USA but faltering in Britain? To deflect criticism about the harsh treatment of ‘seditionist’ prisoners, the Jail Committee recast spaces of confinement as sites for agendas of post-war economic, institutional, and civic...2024-08-0143 min
Did That Really Happen?RRRWe're back with our first episode of 2023, and we're talking about RRR! Join us as we learn about the Gymkhana Club, riot gear, Lala Lajpat Rai, flogging in the British Raj, and more! Sources: Hansard's Parliamentary Debates, Volume 281 (6 July 1883): https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/1883-07-06/debates/53f4430d-fcb5-43e2-b9e1-e478f12fb23d/India-CriminalLaw%E2%80%94PunishmentOfFlogging Sean Lang, "John Nicholson: The Sadistic British Officer Who Was Worshipped As a Living God in India," The Conversation, available at https://theconversation.com/john-nicholson-the-sadistic-british-officer-who-was-worshipped-as-a-living-god-in-india-99889 David Skuy, "Macauley and the Indian Penal Code of 1862: The...2023-01-231h 10