James Mill and The History of British India (1817)
In 1817, a Scotsman named James Mill published The History of British India, one of the most influential books ever written about India. He had never been there, and he never learned Sanskrit, Persian or any Indian language.
This documentary follows how his book became a textbook for the East India Company's officers, how it turned India into a mirror for British arguments at home, and how its ideas survive in classrooms today.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:15 Before James Mill: the era of Indomania
02:01 The paycheck and the propaganda
03:51 The enemy in the mirror: India as a disguise
07:58 The origin of the Aryan invasion theory
08:59 Ghosts in the academy: modern textbooks
10:42 The psychological heist: reclaiming memory
Read the full essay
The Architect of Colonial Contempt: James Mill, with full sources.
