Marx in the Colonies: The Case of India

It appears your Web browser is not configured to display PDF files. Download adobe Acrobat or click here to download the PDF file.

Click here to download the PDF file.

Creator: 

Pierlot, Thomas

Date: 

2022

Abstract: 

This thesis will address the claim that Marx and Engels held pro-colonialist views, using their writings on India as a case study. It will address both the issue of support for colonialism as a political project, and the issue of whether they had Eurocentric/"Orientalist" ideas of India. I will argue they began as reluctant supporters of British colonialism in India, conceptualizing it as an exploitative but progressive force, but then moved towards anti-colonialism later on. Additionally, I will argue that Marx and Engels reproduced Eurocentric/"Orientalist" stereotypes about Indian's stagnation, but that they did not explain this stagnation as a product of racial inferiority. I will argue Marx's late notebooks present a less Eurocentric view of India. Finally, I will locate my work in the discussion of decolonizing philosophy, drawing out potential implications for the Marxian project, and the nuances of Marx and Engels's legacy.

Subject: 

Philosophy
Colonies

Language: 

English

Publisher: 

Carleton University

Thesis Degree Name: 

Master of Arts: 
M.A.

Thesis Degree Level: 

Master's

Thesis Degree Discipline: 

Philosophy

Parent Collection: 

Theses and Dissertations

Items in CURVE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. They are made available with permission from the author(s).