How did the Britishers classify the Indian history?
Answers
The History of British India is a history of British India by the 19th century British historian and imperial political theorist James Mill.
This History went into many editions and during the 19th century became the standard reference work on its subject among British imperialistsThe History of British India purports to be a study of India in which James set out to attack the history, character, religion, literature, arts, and laws of India, also making claims about the influence of the Indian climate. He also aimed to locate the attacks on India within a wider theoretical framework.
The book begins with a preface in which Mill tries to make a virtue of having never visited India and of knowing none of its native languages. To him, these are guarantees of his objectivity, and he boldly claims –
A duly qualified man can obtain more knowledge of India in one year in his closet in England than he could obtain during the course of the longest life, by the use of his eyes and ears in India.
However, Mill goes on in this preface to say that his work is a "critical, or judging history", encompassing singularly harsh attacks on Hindu customs and a "backward" culture which he claims to be notable only for superstition, ignorance, and the mistreatment of women.