This article examines the discovery of the Thugs in colonial India and analyzes the colonial knowledge about them through the concept of the monster. It argues that the Thug, as depicted in the British colonial archive, was an epistemological monster emerging from gaps in colonial information gathering. The article analyzes journalistic and legal discourse to demonstrate how the 'monster' metaphor explains the British administration's efforts to eradicate Thuggee. It concludes by investigating the implications of the 'discovery' for the teleology of Indian history and the 'othering' of tribal and anomic populations.
Publisher
PALGRAVE COMMUNICATIONS
Published On
May 04, 2020
Authors
Sagnik Bhattacharya
Tags
Thugs
colonial India
monster metaphor
British archives
Thuggee
tribal populations
colonial knowledge
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