The Regulation of Prostitution in Colonial Bombay, 1860 -1047
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CODES OF MISCONDUCT: THE REGULATION OF PROSTITUTION IN COLONIAL BOMBAY, 1860 -1047. by Ashwini Tam be submitted to the Faculty of the School of International Service of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations Chair:r: JULucu LflLI Dr. Vidyamali Samarfeftnghe Dr. Deborah Rosenfipft // Dr. Geoffrey Burkhart Dr. Louis W. Goodman, Dean Date 2000 American University Washington, D.C. 20016 AMEIHCMI IM V IR S in UBMUE ^3b0 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9993518 Copyright 2000 by Tambe, Ashwini S. All rights reserved. ___ ® UMI UMI Microform 9993518 Copyright 2001 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ° COPYRIGHT by ASHWINITAMBE 2000 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CODES OF MISCONDUCT: THE REGULATION OF PROSTITUTION IN COLONIAL BOMBAY, 1860-1947 By Ashwini Tambe ABSTRACT In feminist thought, the denigration of prostitutes is understood as a means by which all women’s sexual practices are disciplined. Why states get involved in this process, however, is not always evident. This dissertation is an exploration of the criminalization of prostitutes in the case of Bombay city, from 1860 to 1947. The main questions posed are: why did the criminalization of prostitutes occur? What were the imperatives of the colonial state in this process? And finally, how did law-making and law-enforcement function? This study is organized as a genealogy of laws and their enforcement. The phases of the state’s control of prostitutes are traced through an analysis of archival sources. Primary sources were researched in Bombay, New Delhi, London, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. The chapters successively present a narrative which covers categories of analytical importance. Along the way, the relationship between forms of prostitution and the content of laws is probed-- thereby linking the realms of the material and the discursive. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Chapter 2 reviews relevant theoretical work on the colonial state, law and sexuality. Chapters 3,4 and 5 each attend to distinct imperatives shaping the colonial state’s control over prostitution. Chapter 3 illustrates the importance of official medicine, Chapter 4 follows the shift from a discourse of disease-control to one of managing racial purity, and Chapter 5 elaborates the adoption of the international discourse on abolition by Indian legislators. Chapter 6 uses an angle from below, and describes the effects of colonial policy on prostitutes’ lives. Chapter 7 draws together general conclusions about colonial policies on prostitution, the rhetoric of law, and the emergent sexual order. The overarching conclusion in this dissertation is that laws targeting prostitutes in late colonial Bombay were not simply a response to the growing number of such women. Rather, they produced a type of prostitution amenable to public control. This study illustrates how laws fostered prostitution in defined neighborhoods and in a preferred form, the brothel. Together, these chapters not only contribute to an understanding of the limitations of the colonial imagination, but also the unintended consequences of regulation. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Quite apart from its intellectual challenges, writing a dissertation takes emotional tenacity. I thank my dissertation committee members, Dr. Vidya Samarasinghe, Dr. Deborah Rosenfelt, and Dr. Geoffrey Burkhart, for being emotional allies even as they pushed me to think and write better. In particular, Dr. Samarasinghe, the chair, was tremendously generous with her support at a time when it was deeply needed. Dr. Rosenfelt has been a valued mentor and stimulating guide for several years. Dr. Burkhart’s timely and thoughtful comments facilitated my positive approach to the work. The dissertation grant I received from American University enabled me to write full-time from 1999-2000. I also acknowledge the help of Dr. M.K. Pasha, Dr. John Richardson, Dr. Louis Goodman, and Mary Barton at American University. The following institutions and individuals facilitated my primary and secondary research: The Maharashtra State Archives, Mumbai, and in particular, Mr. Karhade; the National Archives of India, New Delhi; the British Library, London, and particularly Jill Geber and the staff at the Oriental and India Office Collections; the Bombay University Library; the School of Oriental and African Studies library, London; the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi; the National Law School of India library and Mr. Navalgund in particular; University of Pennsylvania’s Van Pelt Library and David Nelson iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. at the South Asia Collection; the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. and Allen Thrasher of the Southern Asia section. For stimulating conversations and suggestions for sources, I thank Dr. Frank Conlon, Dr. Uma Chakravarti, Dr. Kumkum Sangari, Dr. Sujata Patel, Dr. Asiya Siddiqui, Dr. Sharmila Rege, Anil Awachat, Preeti Pai Patkar, Pravin Patkar, Pratima Joshi, Dr. Sharadchandra Gokhale, Dr. Chaya Datar, Dr. Sharada Dwivedi, and Dr. Janaki Nair. My stay with good friends during field research added warm memories to this project. I would like to thank Keshwar, Homi and Darius Ghadiali in London, for a truly ‘mast’ time-- they shared their wonderful home and fun weekends with me, and I’ll always be grateful. Anuradha and Ashok Gokhale made my stay in Mumbai a much happier experience than I could have ever expected, and I treasure our numerous meaningful evening chats. I would also like to thank Dr. Ambrose Pinto for facilitating my stay at the Indian Social Institute in New Delhi, a calm place to reside during a period of intensive research. I could not have made it through the doctoral program and dissertation without the happy haven of my friendship with Aparna Devare and Salil Joshi in Washington, D.C. It is impossible to count the ways in which their good cheer, shared concerns, sane advice and generous hearts have made these past years so much better. Aparna’s insightful reading of my work has been immensely helpful. Thanks also to Seira Tamang for her v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. sense of humor and intellectual camaraderie during the dissertation process. To my dear friend Kay Intrator for her loving support over the past years: a big hug. My father, Sudheer Tambe, firmly believed in me through an unusually protracted doctoral education. His fortitude, wit, and gracious nature have always been an inspiration. My brother, Abhijeet Tambe, was always ready with a good laugh or a thought-provoking discussion. My mother, Sujata Tambe, and her energy, patience and kindness have remained with me in spirit through these years. Finally, this dissertation is for Shankar Vedantam. His friendship saw me through the beginning o f this project, his love helped me to complete it, and his intelligent reading of my work improved it in innumerable ways. vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT..........................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................................................................iv