The ‘Mutiny at the Margins’ research team has challenged popular assumptions that the Indian Uprising of 1857 was a military mutiny, supported by only a small section of the civilian elite. Instead, it has highlighted the critical role played by marginal groups including criminals and tribal peoples. Image This new knowledge was brought to public attention through a programme of events, lectures, magazine articles and exhibitions. The launch of the ‘Mutiny at the Margins’ website has also promoted the use of high-quality teaching materials in schools and universities, in both South Asia and the UK. Re-writing the past 2007 saw the 150th Anniversary of the Indian Uprising (also known as the ‘Mutiny') of 1857-58. It is one of the best-known episodes of both British imperial and South Asian history and a seminal event for Anglo-Indian relations. Yet the events of 1857 have often been viewed through a biased lens. Elitist British accounts have tended to present the Uprising as treason or mutiny by group of soldiers. Indian historians have seen it as an act of anti-colonialism that pre-empted the nationalist movement. The project aimed to shed new light on these old stories and to dispel myths that still dominate. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the project originated at the University of Edinburgh under the leadership of Dr Crispin Bates and Dr Markus Daechsel (now at Royal Holloway College, London). New perspectives Dr Bates’s research showed the breadth and importance of tribal involvement and contextualised the uprising in terms of a longer history of tribal insurrection. Dr Daechsel explored the role of religion in the uprising, concentrating on the ways in which religious grievance, authority, millenarianism and jihad were utilised in mobilising Islamic elements. Dr Marina Carter (project Research Assistant and now Honorary Fellow) showed that the crisis led to high levels of migration in the Indian Ocean 1957-9. Dr Andrea Major (project Research Assistant, now at the University of Leeds) studied the experiences of often ignored British communities in areas on the peripheries of the revolt. Web-based resources for schools and colleges The research team have developed an important resource for all those interested in the history of the Indian Uprising, including Schools, college and universities. The ‘Mutiny at the Margins’ website provides downloadable primary source material, abstracts of on-going research, images, and useful links. Visual images include maps, portraits, cartoons and photographs of memorials to the uprising. The ‘Schools and Colleges Project’ section of the website was designed to facilitate further research in and beyond the classroom, helping to transform understanding of the Indian Uprising amongst teachers, pupils and students. It includes an index of documents related to the uprising that are held in local archives across the country, as well as useful suggestions for visits to local libraries. Schools competition The project promoted a 'Schools Competition' in connection with the project website (ending in April 2009). Paintings and essays were submitted from students and classrooms in the UK, Mauritius, India and Pakistan and six prizes of book tokens were awarded. The Schools and Colleges Project was publicised through an article in BBC History Magazine in July 2008. Related Links Mutiny at the Margins website This article was published on 2024-08-01
