Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the colonial encounter with sati, not in terms of the much studied experiences of British India, but through an analysis of the less well-known debates that surrounded its prohibition in the princely states, particularly those of ‘Rajputana’, where sati was especially prominent socially, culturally and politically. It explores local Indian debates about sati in detail, even a cursory consideration of Indian engagements with the issue, as refracted through the colonial archive, reveals that they introduced important new ideas and terms of reference for British observers and officials. The book explores the nature of British involvement with sati in princely India.