'At the going down of the sun and in the morning...': remembering the Indian Soldiers of empire

Robinson, C (2017) 'At the going down of the sun and in the morning...': remembering the Indian Soldiers of empire. In: Religion Department Research Seminars, 8 March 2017, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales.

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Abstract

In 2014, the world commemorated one hundred years since the start of the Great War, a date that also marks the centenary of the arrival of Indian soldiers on the Western Front. Yet, until very recently, their role and impact was ignored or marginalised by mainstream historical accounts, whether because the popular memory of the Western Front is of European combatants or because Indian nationalism renders suspect the Indian combatants. This paper seeks to redress the imbalance of coverage by acknowledging the significant Indian contribution but goes further in paying particular attention to the part religion played in the recruitment and retention of the Indian Army governed as it was by martial race ideology. The practical consequences of this policy are considered by examining the particular religious challenges posed by deployment in the Western Front, mainly through a case study of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, as a military hospital. It concludes with some comments on the legacy of martial race ideology and the role of religion in the British forces today.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Note:

This seminar was open to the public as well as staff and students at Cardiff University.

Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion
D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain
D History General and Old World > DS Asia
Divisions: School of Writing, Publishing and the Humanities
Date Deposited: 15 Mar 2017 13:55
Last Modified: 15 Aug 2021 09:45
URI / Page ID: https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/9389
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