To Raise a Fallen People brings to light pioneering writing on international politics from nineteenth-century India. Drawing on extensive archival research, it unearths essays, speeches, and pamphlets that address fundamental questions about India’s place in the world. In these texts, prominent public figures urge their compatriots to learn English and travel abroad to study, debate whether to boycott foreign goods, differ over British imperialism in Afghanistan and China, demand that foreign policy toward the Middle East and South Africa account for religious and ethnic bonds, and query whether to adopt Western values or champion their own civilizational ethos.Rahul Sagar’s detailed introduction contextualizes these documents and shows how they fostered competing visions of the role that India ought to play on the world stage. This landmark book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the sources of Indian conduct in international politics.
Rahul Sagar is Global Network Associate Professor of Political Science at New York University Abu Dhabi. His books include Secrets and Leaks: The Dilemma of State Secrecy (2013) and The Progressive Maharaja: Sir Madhava Rao’s Hints on the Art and Science of Government (2022).
PrefaceEditorial NoteIntroductionPart I: Regaining Greatness1. English Education2. Sea VoyagesPart II: Critiques3. The Great Game4. The Eastern Question5. Free Trade6. Racism7. The Opium TradePart III: The Great Debate8. To Learn from the West9. To Teach the WestFurther ReadingIndex
Foreign observers are often puzzled and sometimes frustrated by what they see as India’s ambivalence about embracing the role of a classic great power. In this rich and original study, Rahul Sagar digs deep into the intellectual history of the nineteenth century to unearth the roots of contemporary debates on this issue. Essential reading for anyone interested in the past, present, and future of Indian foreign policy.