Skip to main content
Presented to you through Paradigm Publishing Services

Manchester University Press

Visit our Partner Page See all our books
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

1 The transformation of the British and Indian armies in the Rebellion of 1857

Abstract

The events and stories produced by the 1857 Rebellion, and the connections forged between particular British and Indian troops during the conflict, helped to shape its future form. The Rebellion was, in fact, a pivotal moment for the redefinition of attitudes - both public and official - about the military, empire, race and masculinity. The Rebellion was much more than a military crisis, however, for the public interest it generated in Britain was unprecedented. The structural, cultural and discursive transformations inspired by the Rebellion provided the conditions under which a new set of linkages between British and Indian heroes would gain widespread fame in both popular and military circles. The power of these connections derived, in no small part, from the particular ways in which Highlanders, Sikhs and Gurkhas embodied racial and masculine superiority in contrast to rebel sepoys. This chapter explores the conditions that made such connections possible.

Abstract

The events and stories produced by the 1857 Rebellion, and the connections forged between particular British and Indian troops during the conflict, helped to shape its future form. The Rebellion was, in fact, a pivotal moment for the redefinition of attitudes - both public and official - about the military, empire, race and masculinity. The Rebellion was much more than a military crisis, however, for the public interest it generated in Britain was unprecedented. The structural, cultural and discursive transformations inspired by the Rebellion provided the conditions under which a new set of linkages between British and Indian heroes would gain widespread fame in both popular and military circles. The power of these connections derived, in no small part, from the particular ways in which Highlanders, Sikhs and Gurkhas embodied racial and masculine superiority in contrast to rebel sepoys. This chapter explores the conditions that made such connections possible.

Chapters in this book

  1. Front matter i
  2. Dedication v
  3. Contents vii
  4. General editor’s introduction viii
  5. Acknowledgements x
  6. Introduction 1
  7. 1 The transformation of the British and Indian armies in the Rebellion of 1857 18
  8. 2 Highlanders, Sikhs and Gurkhas in the Rebellion 52
  9. 3 The European threat, recruiting, and the development of martial race ideology after 1870 87
  10. 4 Military influence and martial race discourse in British popular culture 116
  11. 5 Martial races 156
  12. 6 Representation versus experience 190
  13. Conclusion 225
  14. Select bibliography 229
  15. Index 236
Martial races
This chapter is in the book Martial races
https://doi.org/10.7765/9781847793942.00007

Chapters in this book

  1. Front matter i
  2. Dedication v
  3. Contents vii
  4. General editor’s introduction viii
  5. Acknowledgements x
  6. Introduction 1
  7. 1 The transformation of the British and Indian armies in the Rebellion of 1857 18
  8. 2 Highlanders, Sikhs and Gurkhas in the Rebellion 52
  9. 3 The European threat, recruiting, and the development of martial race ideology after 1870 87
  10. 4 Military influence and martial race discourse in British popular culture 116
  11. 5 Martial races 156
  12. 6 Representation versus experience 190
  13. Conclusion 225
  14. Select bibliography 229
  15. Index 236
Downloaded on 20.4.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.7765/9781847793942.00007/html
Scroll to top button