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Title: | Shattered minds: Controlling the body in the lunatic asylums in colonial India (1858-1920) |
Other Titles: | Karatoya, NBU J. Hist. Vol 11, March 2018, p 165 - 182 |
Authors: | Bhattacharya, Dahlia |
Keywords: | Unmad Bimarstan Revolt of 1857 Lunatic Act XXXIV of 1858 Native –Only Asylums overcrowding asylum industries |
Issue Date: | Mar-2018 |
Publisher: | University of North Bengal |
Abstract: | Taming with discipline and confinement the ‘mentally ill’ was largely a colonial concept. The colonial government particularly after 1857 revolt became more concerned about the insane and in controlling insanity they passed Lunatic Acts and constructed asylums throughout the country. In identifying the lunatics the colonial institution used Victorian morality rather than clinical observation. The vagrants and beggars were the mostly classified as insane by the British which was in contrary to the Indian concept of saints and sages. The ganja smokers, hemp and alcohol addicted men were also identified as lunatics. The Victorian morality recognized ‘work’ as a therapy and the ‘mentally ill’ were made to work in the garden, carpentry, grinding wheat and other works leading to monetary gain. The funds were applied to maintain the asylums, sometimes the local jails and led to profit for the British. The paper seeks to look into the colonial policy towards the asylums and the hard work imposed upon the lunatics leading to asylum ‘industries’ and how it received a new direction of economic gains. |
URI: | http://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/3944 |
ISSN: | 2229-4880 |
Appears in Collections: | Karatoya Vol.11 (March 2018) |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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Karatoya vol 11 Article No 13.pdf | Shattered minds: Controlling the body in the lunatic asylums in colonial India (1858-1920) | 208.39 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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