To think this was an inappropriate school task

[Lalalabrador]

My year 8 daughter was asked to write an essay today on the question How did India benefit from colonialism and how was it harmed by it? I’m pretty gobsmacked. I’m a professional historian and sad that something so intellectually bankrupt is being taught to young people.

YABU. If there are no benefits then that’s what she says, with reasons why

The whole point of history is that there are different interpretations of the past.... That is literally what the entire subject is built around. It is not about what is "right" or "wrong."

Read too quickly, I thought you said your 8 year old daughter and had decided mine was a total dunce

@Lalalabrador

India did not benefit from colonialism. There is no for or against colonialism. There ‘weren’t good people on both sides’. I want my daughter to learn the truth about the British Empire not a skewed, jingoistic myth of a Britain generously bestowing ‘civility’ on the poor ‘savages’ of the colonies.

It is the kind of question asked they used to ask at a university interview. To catch a potential student out. I would email the teacher to check their reasoning for the question.

For those who are fixated on the old chestnuts of the railways (reminds me of the myth of Mussolini making the trains in Italy run on time) and those arguing this is a valid exercise to teach children critical thinking skills: it’s not the exercise that’s at issue but the subject they’ve chosen for it. If you’re still not getting it, try substituting colonialism in India with slavery, or even the Nazi’s horrific treatment of the Jews. Presumably, according to your logic, you’d be fine with your child being asked the question, “How did the people of Africa benefit from slavery and how were they harmed by it?”

My son is a History graduate and had to write and essay of the same title. He was told in no way should he write of any benefits, he did, proved it and gained a high mark. Surely as a historian you have to accept that there is good and bad in all things or you lose the ability to be impartial when looking back. Bit odd and over woke.

Yes the banning of sati (or suttee, not sure which, suspect suttee is the old fashioned terribly culturally insensitive and racist way to spell the word for the practice of burning women alive). I think the comparison a PP made of it just being a few rare cases of a grieving loved one exercising their choice to commit suicide is suspect...hmmm more like culturally pressured or even physically forced into it...was there a named practice of grieving husbands flinging themselves on their wife's pyre...suspect not. Granted sati had been banned at various points under Indian rule, the British were a bit slow to enforce the law they passed, one of the leading campaigners against sati was Hindu and India would have got there in the end without the Brits but it probably happened a bit quicker.

Ditto laws banning female infanticide and raising the age of consent from 10 to 12...although of course neither law fully effective.

And of course Year 8 will approach it in a reasonably simplistic way... Because they are 12! But as most people don't study history past the age of 14 you have to give them a chance to look at this stuff or none of it would get covered at all!

Hi Op
Real good to hear this Subject matter is on the school National Curriculum,
The Homework your Child has sounds very Balanced and thoughts provoking !
I have always found History intriguing fascinating,
I can never understand someone saying they they find History Boring

It must be they had a Teacher who a bit shit,engaging/bringing History to Life in a relatable manner etc !

I would have liked to have learnt more about all the former Colonialism Countries and the affect it hadan on them etc.!😕

I’m with you @Lalalabrador
What was the impact of British rule might be a less loaded question.
YANBU.

@R3ALLY

Read too quickly, I thought you said your 8 year old daughter and had decided mine was a total dunce

So did I and I was like WTF?!

It's similar to asking how Germany benefited from Nazi rule.

@burblish

For those who are fixated on the old chestnuts of the railways (reminds me of the myth of Mussolini making the trains in Italy run on time) and those arguing this is a valid exercise to teach children critical thinking skills: it’s not the exercise that’s at issue but the subject they’ve chosen for it. If you’re still not getting it, try substituting colonialism in India with slavery, or even the Nazi’s horrific treatment of the Jews. Presumably, according to your logic, you’d be fine with your child being asked the question, “How did the people of Africa benefit from slavery and how were they harmed by it?”

Again. Lots of truly horrific things have unintended benefits.

There were benefits from the Nazi's albeit (as per colonialism massively outweighed obviously and clearly no-one in their right mind would choose to gain these benefits that way). But advancements in medical science would be one, horrible as that is.

The formation of NATO and all the political fallout that resulted in the human rights movement would be another.

Exactly @burblish

Obviously a clueless teacher. So annoying.

It's an offensive question, in my opinion, but it's also framed weirdly. Of benefit to India? Like, what do they mean by India - the people of India? And who gets to judge what a benefit consists of? I mean, it's a bit much to have the descendants of an oppressive regime making claims about what the benefits were. Ooh the railways, the education system! Our culture is so wondrous.

I've just realised it's 'daughter studying in Year 8'. It isn't 8 years of age. I read it too quickly.

I wonder what the primary sources are to go with a question like that. Wouldn't it be best to teach history as drawing your own conclusions based on corroborated first-hand witness evidence? Isn't that what, at it's very best, the study of history is about? What is this question going to entail - just evaluating the merits or demerits of what one historian said and what the other said in disagreement? Just secondary sources and the answers you can give being pretty much prescribed by what others have described colonialism as. Not enough opportunity to base conclusion on study of personal testimony of people who were there at the time.

I agree with you 100% OP and I'm from that part of the world. These white supremacist posts are making my blood boil.

To anyone who thinks there were "some benefits", fuck you Karen.

Suttee was outlawed DURING the time of British rule. It wasn't the idea of the British at all but a campaign started by an Indian.

The teacher asked for a ‘balanced argument’.

This is a technical literacy term requiring a student to examine both sides of the argument and address the arguments for the 'losing' side in reaching a conclusion.

@burblish

For those who are fixated on the old chestnuts of the railways (reminds me of the myth of Mussolini making the trains in Italy run on time) and those arguing this is a valid exercise to teach children critical thinking skills: it’s not the exercise that’s at issue but the subject they’ve chosen for it. If you’re still not getting it, try substituting colonialism in India with slavery, or even the Nazi’s horrific treatment of the Jews. Presumably, according to your logic, you’d be fine with your child being asked the question, “How did the people of Africa benefit from slavery and how were they harmed by it?”

Actually, as horrific as it is, some African people did benefit from slavery. They helped round up the slaves and sold them. It’s abhorrent of course, but they would have made money and been happier as a result I expect.

But there is lots of debate around the impact of the empire - just look at this thread as an example, and historians do debate its benefits, so children should be encouraged to look at these and debate them. This is not the case for slavery and the Holocaust as debate around those tends to focus on eg whether Hitler planned the Holocaust from the start, or why slavery ended.

@Abi86

“All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?”

Wow. Are you genuinely not embarrassed for yourself for posting that?

You remind me of the children who said to me at school (here in the U.K.) things such as, “If we hadn’t gone over there, your lot would still be uncivilised.”

I guess I just have to thank God that at least none of my history teachers ever posed to me or my classmates the question put to the OP’s child.

@Puddinger

But then a student who researches could say no benefit? I still don’t see a problem .

Benefits?
Just think about it for a minute.

@Lalalabrador

India did not benefit from colonialism. There is no for or against colonialism. There ‘weren’t good people on both sides’. I want my daughter to learn the truth about the British Empire not a skewed, jingoistic myth of a Britain generously bestowing ‘civility’ on the poor ‘savages’ of the colonies.

You are over thinking it massively. Its a perfectly good question. There are benefits and downsides to everything. Most negatives have positive you can learn from.

My divorce. Absolutely awful, nearly killed me, I would much prefer we were still together.

Doesn't mean if I look.at it openly and objectively I can't find a few benefits as a result.