A Handbook of the Fighting Races of India

By P D Bonarjee

From the late nineteenth century, the Martial Race theory shaped the recruitment policy. It outlined that some Indian men, because of their 'caste' or ethnic group affiliations, were more 'suitable' soldiers and should be targeted for recruitment. Within the British Indian Army, the 'martial' groups included Gurkhas (mostly from Nepal) and Sikhs and Muslims from Punjab. With certain modifications, this theory remained operational to the first decade of the twentieth century. The construction of the 'martial races' enabled the British to play-off different communities against each other to prevent the emergence of a unified anti-British sentiment among the colonised.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1474540511
• ISBN13: 9781474540513
• Release Date: August 2024
• Publisher: Naval & Military Press
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"