Macaulay, the India Penal Code, and labour in the British Empire
Topic: Macaulay, the India Penal Code, and labour in the British Empire
Presenter: Professor Barry Wright - Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
The seminar will examine conflicting assessments of Thomas Macaulay's 1836 draft India Penal Code (the first and most Benthamite criminal code in the British Empire, enacted, with retrograde changes, after the Mutiny in 1860) from the perspective of labour issues. It will focus on Macaulay's unsuccessful attempt to end indigenous practices of slavery and curb the exploitation and transportation of indentured labour. The imperial abolition of slavery (1833-4) was not extended to the autonomous Princely states and saw the rapid growth of an empire-wide trade in indentured labour. I argue that Macaulay's efforts and their frustration are an important aspect of larger narratives about imperial abolition and the labour transitions that followed. The experience also illustrates the limits of progressive law reform initiatives within the context of imperial economic imperatives and the political impulses of colonial rule.
This seminar is presented by the TC Beirne School of Law Research Seminar Series, and the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law.
All welcome, no RSVP required. A light lunch is provided at the seminar.
Contact: Beth Williams, ph: 334 69350, email: marketing@law.uq.edu.au
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