Draft:Polycoloniality
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Polycoloniality is a term used by Indian scholar Saugata Bhaduri to describe the presence of multiple European colonial powers in the same region. Bhaduri developed the concept principally in relation to the history of Bengal, arguing that accounts of colonialism focused primarily on British rule can overlook the earlier and concurrent presence of other European powers.[1]
Concept
[edit]Bhaduri’s book titled 'Polycoloniality: European transactions with Bengal from the 13th to the 19th century' examines the activities of several European powers in Bengal and argues for a more plural account of the region’s colonial history. The concept draws attention to the coexistence of different European colonial and commercial presences rather than treating British rule as the sole framework for understanding Bengal’s colonial past.
Bhaduri notes that the related term ‘‘polycolonial’’ predates his work, citing earlier uses by Jack Chen and Amy Turner Bushnell. He states that he is using the term systematically in South Asian contexts since 2009.
Reception and criticism
[edit]The concept has been discussed widely in postcolonial scholarship. Debajyoti Biswas reviewed the 'Polycoloniality: European transactions with Bengal from the 13th to the 19th century' in Postcolonial Studies and situated its argument within a critique of binary or Manichaean approaches to colonial history.[2]
Arup K. Chatterjee discussed the book in "The Hindu", examining its account of Bengal in terms of the presence of several European powers and its challenge to accounts centred exclusively on British colonial rule.[3]
Ananya Jahanara Kabir and Esha Sil subsequently discussed Bhaduri’s concept of polycoloniality in "Global Food History." They argued that "polycoloniality" identifies the presence of diverse European powers in Bengal but remains primarily descriptive and does not adequately explain the cultural processes resulting from their interactions with local communities. They proposed "Creole Bengal" as an alternative framework for examining those processes.[4]
References
[edit]- ↑ Bhaduri, Saugata (2020). Polycoloniality: European transactions with Bengal from the 13th to the 19th century. New Delhi: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-93-88271-41-7.
- ↑ Biswas, Debajyoti (2023-07-03). "Postcolonial exigency: interrogating the Manichean model of coloniality through a polycolonial lens: Polycoloniality: European transactions with Bengal from the 13th to the 19th century, by Saugata Bhaduri, New Delhi, Bloomsbury, 2020, 241 pp., Rs. 1299 (HB), ISBN 978-93-88271-41-7". Postcolonial Studies. 26 (3): 480–482. doi:10.1080/13688790.2021.1996022. ISSN 1368-8790.
- ↑ Chatterjee, Arup K. (22 August 2020). "Polycoloniality in Bengal and Marquezian Histories". The Hindu.
- ↑ Kabir, Ananya Jahanara; Sil, Esha (2026-05-04). "Confecting Creole Bengal, from Sandesh to Rosogolla : Textural Transformations and Sonic Recall". Global Food History. 12 (2): 163–181. doi:10.1080/20549547.2025.2583656. ISSN 2054-9547.
