ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an analysis of a dispute taking place in 1794, while Pondicherry – due to the Wars of Revolution – was under British occupation. It utilizes information on a dispute that took place in 1768, which has been entered among the files relating to the dispute in 1794. Although the connection between weak and confused political authority and caste disputes should not be oversimplified, the dispute in Pondicherry in 1794 supports the existence of such a connection. Once again the discourse on the nature of Indian society was a dialogue in which Indian conceptions of the social and political order were important. The social structure, particular events, the strength of the colonial power and lesser differences in the management of caste disputes all produced certain characteristics in each settlement. More importantly, Pondicherry witnessed a series of disagreements within the colonial administration in the months immediately preceding the outbreak of riots in July 1794.
