Orientalism, political subjectivity and the birth of citizenship between 1780 and 1830

Bibliographic Data

ID4524835
AuthorsJack Harrington (The Open University, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume16
Issue5-6
Pages573-586
Publication date2012-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCitizenship Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1362-1025 • E-ISSN: 1469-3593
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13621025.2012.698481
OpenAlexW1995748660
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited29

The half-century after 1780 witnessed profound changes in British thought about the political subject, the non-European world and empire. The French and American revolutions and the steady growth of imperial power in India provided the British contexts for the formation of what can be called 'political orientalism'. Using the example of James Mill (1773–1836), a prominent radical reformer and theorist of empire, this article explores how political orientalism developed within a liberal framework as a means of advocating imperial dominion as a tool of social and political improvement. Keywords: James MillIndiapolitical orientalism Acknowledgements The research leading to these results is framed in the project Oecumene: citizenship after orientalism, funded by the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement No. 249379. The Alwyn Ruddock Bequest of the Institute of Historical Research funded early research that led to the final publication of this article. Professor Engin Isin and my colleagues and students at The Open University have all provided useful advice and ideas. I am grateful to my wife, Dr Sophie Heywood, for comments on the final text. Notes 1. The claim that Smith and Burke were against empire has been seen to be problematic (Travers Citation2007, Kohn and O'Neill Citation2006). 2. The argument that term 'citizen' cannot be applied to political subjects in colonial societies and is too historically and culturally located in Europe and too narrow to be useful is forcefully made in Ranabir Samaddar (Citation2009). 3. For example, Max Weber saw certain elements of political society always lacking in the 'East' (Isin Citation2002, p. 118). A recent and stark rendition can be found in Niall Ferguson (Citation2011). 4. Of course, the Whig Macaulay's rhetoric, which describes a 'great people' and talks of the 'glory' to be had in governing well, could not be mistaken for that of James Mill the Radical, but the sentiment on India is broadly the same (in contrast to their views on British politics). The connection between Mill and Macaulay is briefly explored in Philips (Citation1961) and Thomas (Citation2001)

Citizenship · Colonialism · Empire · Orientalism · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Theology · European Political History Analysis · Gender Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · Political Theory and Influence · Weber, Simmel, Sociological Theory

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