Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University History Theses Department of History Winter 12-18-2013 Securitizing British India: A New Framework of Analysis for the First Anglo-Afghan War Mark F. Honnen Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_theses Recommended Citation Honnen, Mark F., "Securitizing British India: A New Framework of Analysis for the First Anglo-Afghan War." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2013. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_theses/77 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. SECURITIZING BRITISH INDIA: A NEW FRAMEWORK OF ANALYSIS FOR THE FIRST ANGLO-AFGHAN WAR by MARK HONNEN Under the Direction of Ian C. Fletcher ABSTRACT The First Anglo-Afghan War of 1839-1842 was one of the most disastrous conflicts in the history of the British Empire. It caused the death of thousands and the annihilation of the Army of the Indus. Yet this defeat came after a successful invasion. In analyzing the actions of officials and officers of the British imperial state and the East India Company leading up to and during the invasion, I will argue that these actions served to securitize British India. Securitiza- tion is a process by which an actor takes a series of steps to persuade an audience that a specific referent object faces a critical and existential threat. I contend in this thesis that the need for se- curity was used to justify, in the eyes of both British and Indian audiences, the continued territo- rial expansion and military dominance of the British in India and its borderlands.