Historical Constructions - Colonialism and the Reshaping of South Asian Masculinity
About the Module
In Module 1, you developed the foundational concepts of South Asian Male Studies. You learned why this field is necessary, explored its theoretical debts to Black Male Studies, and began to understand the colonial dismantling of indigenous masculinities.
Module 2 deepens this historical analysis. We move from broad concepts to specific mechanisms, examining precisely how British colonialism transformed South Asian masculinity through law, culture, and violence. We'll explore the psychological inheritance of this trauma, analyze forms of resistance, and study how early diaspora communities built power in the face of exclusion.
🤌 Module Taxonomy
🧠 Remember
This module covers key historical facts and concepts, including: the Arms Act of 1878, the Martial Races Theory, the Criminal Tribes Act, Section 377, and the role of Victorian morality in colonial social engineering. Students will recall important figures, laws, and stereotypes used to reshape South Asian masculinity.
📜 Comprehension
Students will understand how colonial mechanisms—legal, cultural, and psychological—systematically dismantled indigenous masculinities. This includes explaining the purpose of disarmament, the logic behind racial categorizations, and the imposition of British gender norms as a “civilizing mission.”
⚙️ Apply
Learners will apply historical concepts to analyze contemporary issues, such as: using the Arms Act to discuss modern gun control debates, applying Fanon’s theory of the colonized psyche to understand internalized racism, and using the patriarchal bargain framework to examine gender dynamics in diaspora families.
🔮 Analysis
Students will analyze primary sources (images, texts) to deconstruct colonial representations of South Asian men. They will also examine intergenerational trauma transmission, compare resistance strategies (e.g., Gandhi vs. Ghadar Party), and evaluate how historical hierarchies persist in modern casteism, colorism, and regional stereotypes.
🕊️ Evaluation
Learners will evaluate the effectiveness and ethics of colonial policies, resistance movements, and coping mechanisms. This includes assessing the long-term psychological impact of emasculation, critiquing the patriarchal bargain as a response to disempowerment, and judging the legacy of early diaspora community-building strategies.
🔩 Create
Students will synthesize historical knowledge to propose interventions, create reflective narratives, or design educational materials. Activities include: writing a family trauma mapping reflection, designing a decolonizing masculinity workshop, or crafting a case study analysis on compensatory control in diaspora families.
🎙️ Podclass
View our Podclass live or on-demand on YouTube and Twitch.
🗄️ Module Lessons
Engage with our published lessons that summarize material covered in this module.
The Colonial Project: Engineering the "Effeminate" and the "Martial"
The Psychological Inheritance: Intergenerational Trauma and the Colonized Psyche
Resistance and Reclamation: Patriarchy as a Bargain
Case Study: Early Diaspora & Building Community in the Face of Exclusion
📝 Concept Art
Artwork to help summarize material covered in this module.
