Nautch, Thuggee and Criminality in Nineteenth-Century Colonial India

Bibliographic Data

ID11447246
AuthorsNibedita Kuiry (0000-0001-9188-2501, Government Kaktiya PG College, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, India and IIT Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, corresponding author), Akshaya K Rath (0000-0001-5219-0318, Government Kaktiya PG College, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, India and IIT Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India)
Year2023
Volume43
Issue1
Pages115-128
Publication date2023-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSouth Asia Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0262-7280 • E-ISSN: 1741-3141
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/02627280221141710
OpenAlexW4313677411
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited19

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

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Colonialism · Dance · Indian subcontinent · Literature · Narrative · Political science · Reading (process · Sociology · Diversity and Impact of Dance · Gender Studies · History · Law · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society