Recapping the Academic Seminar “Racial Segregation and Colonial Self-Government: South Africa and British India, 1900-’35” on 15 January 2024

Mr. Aniket DE, Ph.D. candidate from the Department of History, Harvard University, was invited by the Department of History, and Centre for Comparative and Public History to deliver a lecture entitled “Racial Segregation and Colonial Self-Government: South Africa and British India, 1900-’35” on 15 January 2024. From a trans-imperial approach, the speaker analyzed the “dyarchy” governance structure of South Africa and India under British colonial rules in the early 20th century. First, he used original historical materials such as archive, letters, and diaries to examine the racial considerations behind the “dyarchy” of South Africa’s white administrators, i.e. members of the “Round Table” group. He emphasized that “dyarchy” did not truly allow “natives” to fully govern themselves but was a colonial governance tactic of “racial devolution” to consolidate the superior position of the colonizers. The policy presupposed the unequal status of white administrators and non-white administrators: the former as “reserved” subjects, controlling key sectors such as finance, military, and diplomacy; and the latter as “transferred” subjects, sharing civil rights such as health and education only. Finally, the speaker added that this asymmetrical “dyarchy” structure was also continued by post-colonial political elites.

 

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World History Seminar (2023-24)

Organisers: Centre for Comparative and Public History, Department of History, CUHK
Enquiry: 3943 8541

 

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Conference on Hong Kong in Archives

Organiser: Centre for Comparative and Public History, Department of History, CUHK
Enquiry: 3943 8541

 

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