The Ironies of Colonial Governance: Law, Custom and Justice in Colonial India (Cambridge Studies in Law and Society)

By: James Jaffe

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Synopsis: The Indian village council, or panchayat, has long held an iconic place in India. Ironies of Colonial Governance traces the history of that ideal and the attempts to adapt it to colonial governance. Beginning with an in-depth analysis of British attempts to introduce a system of panchayat governance during the early nineteenth century, it analyses the legacies of these actions within the structures of later colonial administrations as well as the early nationalist movement. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which the ideologies of panchayat governance evolved during this period and to the transnational exchange and circulation of panchayat ideologies. Analyses colonial law within a transnational perspective, thereby providing a comparative imperial perspective on the evolution of law and justice. Combines the history of ideas and the history of colonial administration in order to illustrate the imperial circulation of ideas and trace the ideological sources of colonial law and administration. Focuses on the ideological and practical changes in the perceptions of customary law, customary courts and local administration within India, making this of interest to those seeking to understand how ideas affect practice in colonial administration as well as how practice affected ideology.