Mary Carpenter and India: Enlightened liberalism or condescending imperialism?

• Autores: Ruth Watts
• Localización: Paedagogica Historica: International journal of the history of education, ISSN 0030-9230, Vol. 37, Nº. 1, 2001 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Education and ethnicity), págs. 193-210
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The English social and educational reformer, Mary Carpenter, became involved in the imperialist venture in India in the 1860s and 1870s. Imbued with liberal, anti-racist attitudes, she was drawn to India particularly because of gender interests. Inspired by and working with Indian reformers, she was apparently welcomed on her four visits to India where her own ideas on women's rights were further developed. In England she eagerly publicised her experiences and strove, with some success, to achieve her interpretation of what Indian reformers desired. How far Mary Carpenter actually could understand the Indian situation, how far her liberalism in fact was touched by cultural imperialism and class attitudes � her own ethnicity as an Englishwoman � indeed, are examined here. It will be seen that to understand fully racial and imperial attitudes of late nineteenth century England it is crucial to interrelate gendered notions with them.