Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the relationship of the Anglo-Indian community with nationalist discourse in late colonial and early post-colonial India.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the relationship of the Anglo-Indian community with nationalist discourse in late colonial and early post-colonial India. Eurasian by birth, having English as its native language and Christianity as its religion, the Indian-ness of this community was often questioned, even negated outright, by some nationalist voices. At the same time, prominent members of the community made arguments that established Anglo-Indians as undeniably Indian. The hybrid identity and heritage of this minority group posed a discursive problem when it came to the question of defining India as a nation. How did this group, the progeny of both colonizer and colonized, fit into an anti-colonial rhetoric? And how did members of the Anglo-Indian community respond to assumptions of their "foreignness" in public debate? This paper examines controversies related to minority rights and language in order to address some of these questions.