| ID | 188846 |
| Title Proper | Nautch, Thuggee and Criminality in Nineteenth-Century Colonial India |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Kuiry, Nibedita ; Rath, Akshaya K. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Nineteenth-century colonial India witnessed the much-hyped anti-thuggee campaign, instrumental in creating an elaborate archive of frequent commentaries, opinions on banditry, prisoners and their trials, approvers’ accounts, administrative studies as well as fictional narratives. Re-reading such archival sources, this article explores how nautch, a hybrid form of dance, once glorified and later criminalised by the colonial powers, became a point of intersection between the Europeans in India and local thugs, who often benefitted from such dancers. The article shows the precarious position of the nautch performers as instrumental in collaborating with the colonial rulers and the outlawed thugs for controlling perceived ‘crime’ in the Indian subcontinent, while ending up as victims, too. |
| `In' analytical Note | South Asia Research Vol. 43, No.1; Feb 2023: p.115-128 |
| Journal Source | South Asia Research 2023-03 43, 1 |
| Key Words | Prostitution ; Colonial India ; Criminality ; Dance ; Nautch ; Thuggee |