Divided Landscapes

Pieris, Anoma

doi:10.21313/hawaii/9780824832216.003.0002

Cited by 2 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…As mentioned earlier that British Indian convicts came from present-day South Asia, which covers Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and around the rim of the Bay of Bengal to Myanmar (De Vito, Clare, & Ulbe, 2018, p. 11; Pieris, 2009, p. 66; Tan, 2015, p. 39). As British India was the home of diverse ethnicities and cultures, I have chosen to use “South Asian” instead of “Indian” convicts in this article.…”

Section: South Asian Convicts At the Ocean’s Marginsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…South Asian convicts were from all walks of life, from Brahmans down to “untouchables”, of which the most considerable portion was the Bengali (Turnbull, 1970, p. 87; Sandhu, 1968, p. 200). Scholars reported that convicts were awarded transportation because of committing burglary, dacoity, housebreaking, murder, thuggee , frauds, forgeries and revolutionary activities (McNair & Bayliss, 1899, p. 11; Yang, 2003, p. 197; Pieris, 2009, pp. 69, 270).…”

Section: South Asian Convicts At the Ocean’s Marginsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 1851, the ship Krishna brought 56 convicts and 15 guards from Calcutta to Singapore ( SFPMA , 25 July 1851, p. 2). Around that year, Bengali convicts were 113, 408 and 10 in Chinatown, Kampung Gelam and Country Districts (Pieris, 2009, p. 238). Table 4 shows the number of Bengali prisoners in Singapore from 1825 to 1857.…”

Section: Dealing With the Ambiguities: Rescuing The “Bengali” Convict...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, they constructed North Bridge Road, South Bridge Road, Serangoon Road and Thomson Road (Earl, 1837, p. 353; ST , 24 March 1909, p. 10; Aiyar, 1938, p. 4). This carcéral community was brought from Bengal, Madras and Bombay ( Annals of Indian Administration, 1856 , p. 291; Pieris, 2009, p. 147). Bengalis, among other South Asian convicts, erected many government buildings and religious places in Singapore (Earl, 1837, p. 353; Mahajani, 1960, pp.…”

Section: Involvement Of Convict Labourers In Diverse Sectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bengalis, among other South Asian convicts, erected many government buildings and religious places in Singapore (Earl, 1837, p. 353; Mahajani, 1960, pp. 95–96; Pieris, 2009, p. 147). For example, they made St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Sri Mariamman Temple, government House (now the Istana) and City Hall.…”

Section: Involvement Of Convict Labourers In Diverse Sectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Colonising the penal body: transit of the convicts from Bengal to the Malay Peninsula

Rahman

2023

SEAMJ

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PurposeThe 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/approachBy 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsResearcher faced difficulties to get the descendant of Bengali convicts.Originality/valueThis article is a research paper based on mostly archival records; therefore, it is an original contribution to the existing knowledge on the convict history.

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Section: South Asian Convicts At the Ocean’s Marginsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: South Asian Convicts At the Ocean’s Marginsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dealing With the Ambiguities: Rescuing The “Bengali” Convict...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Involvement Of Convict Labourers In Diverse Sectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Involvement Of Convict Labourers In Diverse Sectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Colonising the penal body: transit of the convicts from Bengal to the Malay Peninsula

Rahman

2023

SEAMJ

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Penal duress in (post)colonial Myanmar

Jefferson

Martin

2023

Theoretical Criminology

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This article explores the notion and nature of penal duress, illustrated through analysis of martial, penal practice in Myanmar. We examine prison labour and pone-san (a demeaning, defamatory and coercive control of prisoners’ bodies) to show how these two enduring practices of domination, subjection and constraint – understood, drawing on Ann Laura Stoler, as relations of duress – animate penal practice in powerful, productive and problematic ways. Resisting the urge to view imperial forms through a peripheralising northern lens, or solely in terms of continuity and discontinuity, we pursue an understanding of penal duress as a ubiquitous, yet distinctly situated and relational phenomenon that has taken form through local colonial experiences and their afterlives. In sum, we attend to ‘processes of partial inscriptions, modified displacements and amplified recuperations’ to discuss how relations of penal duress are endured and enduring in Myanmar today.

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Divided Landscapes

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Colonising the penal body: transit of the convicts from Bengal to the Malay Peninsula

Colonising the penal body: transit of the convicts from Bengal to the Malay Peninsula

Penal duress in (post)colonial Myanmar

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