"Indian sepoys in and beyond the imperial metropole during..." Topic

…during the First World War, 1914-1919.

"In late 1914, the British Empire deployed Indian soldiers (called sepoys) to Europe in a desperate bid to halt the advancing German army and thereby save the Empire. Although a variety of studies have explored the subject of Indian soldiers in Europe, few venture beyond their military contributions to the situation on the Western Front. In contrast, I devote considerable attention to the more intimate frontiers of the British and German Empires, especially British hospitals for wounded sepoys and German prison camps where captured sepoys were detained. Comparison of the policy and practice of British and German military authorities, vis- a -vis Indian soldiers, is
therefore one contribution of this work. I argue that tactical, military considerations and imperial concerns ¨C namely, protecting racial hierarchies and the loyalty of Indian troops shaped the experiences of sepoys in Europe. Yet this study does more than look at topdown approaches to Indian sepoys during the war. Drawing on Indian soldier letters and previously unconsidered testimonies collected by British and German government officials, I demonstrate that the sepoys were keenly aware of the countercurrents shaping their experiences in Europe. They engaged with, reshaped, and resisted many of the policies of the British and Germans, revealing in the process that they valued a safe return home far more than winning the battles of their ¨DKing-Emperor…"
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