Colonising the penal body
Transit of the convicts from Bengal to the Malay Peninsula
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19539680 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gazi Mizanur Rahman (0000-0002-3251-356X, BRAC University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 3-18 |
| Publication date | 2023-07-13 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Southeast Asia A Multidisciplinary Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1819-5091 • E-ISSN: 2948-0426 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/seamj-02-2023-0017 |
| OpenAlex | W4379386816 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
Purpose The British East India Company (EIC) made connections between the Malay Archipelago and Bengal and established a penal settlement at Bencoolen, followed by the Straits Settlements for the Indian convicts. The convicts from different parts of South Asia today were generally described as “Indian”, such generalisation often hides the identity of specific convicts from South Asia. Among the Indian convicts, the Bengalis were transported to Bencoolen and the Straits Settlements. However, the generic term has made it difficult to reconstruct the history of Bengali convicts’ experiences and pathos. Therefore, this paper attempts to “rediscover” the afterlife of transportation of Bengali felons in the Malay Peninsula. Design/methodology/approach By examining a range of archival records and current scholarships, this article shows the inclusivity, diversity and accessibility of convict labourers with mainstream society. This study will open up a new avenue of convict histories and subaltern studies on Asia. Findings The Bengali convicts in the Straits Settlements, one of the oldest migrant sections, have largely been ignored in historical literature. Though the Bengalis, among other South Asian convicts, constituted a significant portion, they were categorised under the generic term “Indian” (Rai, 2014). Their manual labour was invaluable for the colonial economy and the development of the Straits Settlements. Research limitations/implications Researcher faced difficulties to get the descendant of Bengali convicts. Originality/value This article is a research paper based on mostly archival records; therefore, it is an original contribution to the existing knowledge on the convict history
Ancient history · Archaeology · Bay · BENGAL · Bengali · Colonialism · Convict · Geography · Human settlement · Malay · Asian Studies and History · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Socioeconomic Development in Asia
| Highly cited | No |
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