This lecture explores the systemic violence integral to many of the everyday practices of colonialism, and the languages in which these practices were legitimated within colonial discourse. Through this exploration it reflects on the troubled relationship between law and violence in the making of colonial modernity.
Neeladri Bhattacharya is Professor of Modern History at the Jawaharlal Nehru -University of New Delhi. His recent publications include Labouring Histories: Agrarian Labour and Colonialism (2004) as well as numerous articles on colonialism and the representation of history.