1/n
Famous actresses such as Merle Oberon and Vivien Leigh of “Gone with the Wind” fame hid their Anglo-Indian ancestry. Merle Oberon claimed to be Australian despite being Mumbai born & Vivian claimed French ancestry. Many Anglo-Indians hid their origins to escape racism.
Famous actresses such as Merle Oberon and Vivien Leigh of “Gone with the Wind” fame hid their Anglo-Indian ancestry. Merle Oberon claimed to be Australian despite being Mumbai born & Vivian claimed French ancestry. Many Anglo-Indians hid their origins to escape racism.
2/n
When the British first came to India, many of them took Indian women as “wives”. Over time, the Urdu term bibi came to mean mistress in British slang for an Indian "wife". British officers would “marry” Indian women for cohabitation but rarely married them legally.
When the British first came to India, many of them took Indian women as “wives”. Over time, the Urdu term bibi came to mean mistress in British slang for an Indian "wife". British officers would “marry” Indian women for cohabitation but rarely married them legally.
3/n
These were often not actual marriages by social standards at all. British officers used their power to exploit Indian women & left them with children and no support when they went back to England. Often these women were left helpless & poverty stricken.
These were often not actual marriages by social standards at all. British officers used their power to exploit Indian women & left them with children and no support when they went back to England. Often these women were left helpless & poverty stricken.
4/n
The East India Company, encouraged British employees to marry & start families with Hindu women of upper castes. The Company even offered a stipend to Indian mothers if they baptized their children from a British employee, to promote Hindu conversion to Christianity.
The East India Company, encouraged British employees to marry & start families with Hindu women of upper castes. The Company even offered a stipend to Indian mothers if they baptized their children from a British employee, to promote Hindu conversion to Christianity.
5/n
The British coined a horrible term to describe children born of such Anglo-Indian unions: kutcha-butcha meaning half-baked bread. This reference to the mixed skin color of such children marked them as inferior & attached a stigma to their racial identity as not “pure” white.
The British coined a horrible term to describe children born of such Anglo-Indian unions: kutcha-butcha meaning half-baked bread. This reference to the mixed skin color of such children marked them as inferior & attached a stigma to their racial identity as not “pure” white.
6/n
The British created racist terms such as mulatto, quadroon, and octaroon, in other colonies like Africa, S America. They extended it to Anglo-Indians to quantify the amount of "inferior" Indian blood one had mixed in with the supposed genetically superior white British blood.
The British created racist terms such as mulatto, quadroon, and octaroon, in other colonies like Africa, S America. They extended it to Anglo-Indians to quantify the amount of "inferior" Indian blood one had mixed in with the supposed genetically superior white British blood.
7/n
Because of such stigma, many Anglo-Indians covered up their roots & tried to pass as either Indian or English in a phenomenon known as racial passing. They tried to pretend they were British, as they “would get access to better job opportunities & class privileges.”
Because of such stigma, many Anglo-Indians covered up their roots & tried to pass as either Indian or English in a phenomenon known as racial passing. They tried to pretend they were British, as they “would get access to better job opportunities & class privileges.”
8/n
Children of these mixed-race marriages were segregated & raised separately, depending on their skin color. Light-skinned, fair-haired, European-looking children were taken to England and educated there (as Christians), and darker-skinned offspring were abandoned in India.
Children of these mixed-race marriages were segregated & raised separately, depending on their skin color. Light-skinned, fair-haired, European-looking children were taken to England and educated there (as Christians), and darker-skinned offspring were abandoned in India.
9/n
A memorable portrait in the National Gallery of Ireland is "Indian bibi, Jemandee" 'wife' of an English lawyer, William Hickey. Jemandee had one son but died in childbirth in 1796. This haunting portrait reminds us how British exploited beautiful Indian women as sexual slaves
A memorable portrait in the National Gallery of Ireland is "Indian bibi, Jemandee" 'wife' of an English lawyer, William Hickey. Jemandee had one son but died in childbirth in 1796. This haunting portrait reminds us how British exploited beautiful Indian women as sexual slaves
10/n
Still such “Bibis” were lucky to escape the Prostitution Policy of British. In future threads, we will explore The Cantonments Act of 1864 & the Indian Contagious Diseases Act of 1868 which organized sexual slavery of Indian women for British under excuse of reducing STDs
Still such “Bibis” were lucky to escape the Prostitution Policy of British. In future threads, we will explore The Cantonments Act of 1864 & the Indian Contagious Diseases Act of 1868 which organized sexual slavery of Indian women for British under excuse of reducing STDs
11/n
References:
Maher, Reginald "These Are The Anglo-Indians"
Dalrymple, William, "White mischief"
Weston, Christine, "A Brief Anglo-Indian History"
Hyam, Ronald, "Empire and Sexuality: The British Experience"
References:
Maher, Reginald "These Are The Anglo-Indians"
Dalrymple, William, "White mischief"
Weston, Christine, "A Brief Anglo-Indian History"
Hyam, Ronald, "Empire and Sexuality: The British Experience"
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