Work

From international to imperial: The Indian princely states, international law, and the ends of empire in South Asia

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The term protectorates went out of fashion at the turn of the twentieth century and the term Native States or Indian States acquired more acceptability.This is best evidenced by the fact that William Lee-Warner's 1894 book Protected Princes of India was published with the new title of The Native States of India in 1910 (more later).But theoretically, the Indian state retained the character of a protectorate, or more accurately a vassal state in relationship with a suzerain.Antony Anghie, for instance, included the Indian states in his discussion on protectorates.See A. Anghie, Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law (2005), at 87-90. 3 For critiques of the centrality of anticolonial nationalism in Indian history, see, I. Kamtekar, 'The Fables of Nationalism', (1999) 26 India International Center Quarterly 44; E. Beverley, 'Introduction: Rethinking Sovereignty, Colonial Empires, and Nation-States in South Asia and Beyond', (2020) 40 Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 407.

Source: Leiden Journal of International Law

DOI: 10.1017/s0922156525000032

Author: Sarath Pillai

Institution: Southern Methodist University

Language: English

Topic: Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,550