The Talking Cure in the ‘Tropics’ Akshi Singh Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2017 1 Statement of Originality I, Akshi Singh, confirm that the research included within this thesis is my own work or that where it has been carried out in collaboration with, or supported by others, that this is duly acknowledged below and my contribution indicated. Previously published material is also acknowledged below. I attest that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge break any UK law, infringe any third party’s copyright or other Intellectual Property Right, or contain any confidential material. I accept that the College has the right to use plagiarism detection software to check the electronic version of the thesis. I confirm that this thesis has not been previously submitted for the award of a degree by this or any other university. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author. Signature: Akshi Singh Date: 28 September 2017 Details of collaboration and publications: Singh, Akshi. “‘Will it not be Better?’: Recognizing the Indian Psychoanalytical Society.” In Psychoanalysis: Philosophy, Art and Clinic edited by David Henderson, 89-106. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015. Singh, Akshi. “A Soldier in the Psychoanalytic Army: Claud Daly’s Defence of the Garrison.” Psychoanalysis and History 18, no. 1, (2016): 71-92. 2 Abstract This dissertation examines psychoanalysis in a colonial context, tracing its history in early to mid-twentieth century India. A rich, neglected archive of diaries, letters, administrative documents, as well as psychoanalytical and literary writing in Bengali and English, are drawn on to offer an account of the Indian Psychoanalytical Society (est. 1921), and the anthropologists, doctors, army officers and political figures who were in different ways intimately involved with psychoanalysis. Reconstructing these narratives, and by means of a close reading of texts by Freud, I suggest that the understandings of temporality, sexuality and authority in Freudian psychoanalysis resist colonial discourses of progress and civilisation, notably in relation to the category of the ‘primitive’, thus frustrating attempts to appropriate the theory for colonial endeavours. In this thesis, psychoanalysis is both an object of historical study, and a form of questioning, part of colonial history and a body of writing and theory available for contested readings. I discuss writing by two colonial psychoanalysts, Lt. Colonel Claud Daly, and Owen A.R. Berkeley Hill, which combines an investment in psychoanalysis with commitment to Empire, based on a desire for all-knowing psychic and political mastery. In contrast, the memoirs of renowned psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion, recounting his childhood in India, are read for their more complex psychic register and anti-colonial strain. Records left by dream-collecting colonial administrators in the Naga Hills, and documents relating to the trial and ‘insanity plea’ of revolutionary nationalist Gopinath Saha, show us the historical operations of psychoanalysis in collective life. In addition, literary writing by the modernist poet H.D., Temsula Ao, Bankimcandra Chatterji, and Rabindranath Tagore, offers another template for examining the issues raised by both the historical and psychoanalytical writing. 3 Contents Note on Translations and Abbreviations 5 Acknowledgements 6 Introduction 9 ‘Will It Not Be Better’? 14 ‘Your Far Off Country’ 20 The Talking Cure in the ‘Tropics’ 23 Chapter One: Freud in the Colony 31 A Question of Translation, a Matter of Construction 36 The Uncanny Primitive 48 Civilisation: The Garrison in a Conquered City 54 Polymorphous Perversity 60 Family Romance: Leaders and Fathers 65 Ancestors and Ambivalence 69 Chapter Two: Know thy Neighbour? 71 ‘A Room Suitable for Psychoanalytic Treatment’ 75 ‘The awful shame of appearing to be thoroughly scared’: Adventure and Psychoanalysis 89 ‘Curious Beasts’: Shikar, Masculinity, and Sexual Anxiety 97 A ‘black sort of face’ of the Other: Ethics and the Problem of Disavowal 105 Chapter Three: Learning from Experience 111 ‘Mysterious Sweetmeats’: the Enigmas of Childhood 114 ‘A Curzon-like form with leather exoskeletenous sheath’: Imperialism and anti- knowledge 120 ‘Justice and Glory and So Forth’ : War Memoirs 124 The Psychosis of Everyday Life 130 Chapter Four: Heads and Dreams 137 ‘Huddled in Museums’ 142 ‘Recording Dreams of Non-European Races’ 144 ‘Fine Specimens’: Headhunting 154 Progress and Nostalgia 160 ‘A Certain Uncanny Lilt’: Writing the Nagahills 164 Chapter Five: The Call of the Mother 175 ‘A Sensational Political Murder’: Insanity in the Courtroom 178 ‘Unconscious Terrorists’ 183 ‘Our Birthland is Our Mother’ / ‘Say Bande Mataram or we will kill you’ 204 Harsh Husbands: Aggression and Passivity 209 Other Mothers: Gora and ‘Breast Giver’ 213 Conclusion: ‘Something rotten in the state of’ 220 Appendix I 228 Bibliography 241 4 Note on Translations and Abbreviations I have relied on the Standard Edition of the Complete Works of Sigmund Freud for the English translations of Freud’s work, except in discussions that require a comparison with the German texts, or with other English translations. All Bengali texts are cited in English translation, though when required I provide my own translation of untranslated Bengali sources. The original and sometimes unorthodox syntax of the archival sources has been maintained. In all quotations and citations, spellings of proper names correspond to the form used in the source quoted. This dissertation is referenced in the format prescribed by the Chicago Manual of Style, but since most of the material quoted is either archival or literary, I have used square brackets to indicate all editorial interventions made by me, such as omitted text in quotations. The complete reference is provided in the first instance of citation, followed by shortened citations in subsequent citations. For archival sources, the full reference is provided for each citation, unless otherwise noted in the case of extensive quotations from the same source. The names of archives and their location are noted in full in the first instance of citation, and the following abbreviations are used thereafter: BPS: British Psychoanalytical Society IORPP: India Office Records and Private Papers NAI: National Archives of India NMML: Nehru Memorial Museum and Library PRMC: Pitt Rivers Museum Collection SFC-LC: Sigmund Freud Collection, Library of Congress. 5 Acknowledgements This work wouldn’t have been possible without the insight and generosity of my supervisors, Prof. Jacqueline Rose and Dr. Molly Macdonald. Jacqueline Rose’s writing was a source of inspiration and hope for many years before I even considered a PhD, and I thank her both for her work, and for her insight and care over the last four years. Dr. Molly Macdonald has been an encouraging, bracing presence and I’m grateful for her kindness and support. I would like to thank Queen Mary, University of London for supporting this work through the Principal’s Studentship. A grant from the Postgraduate Research Fund at Queen Mary supported archival research in India. The graduate co-ordinators at the School of English and Drama, and the Research Degrees Office were always helpful and good-humoured about the endless form filling that has accompanied both research, and living in the UK. Mr. Ashim Mukhopadhyay at the National Library, Calcutta, was immensely helpful in an early stage of this research, and during subsequent visits. I would also like to acknowledge the support of Ms. Joanne Halford and Mr. Saven Morris at the Library and Archives of the British Psychoanalytic Society, and the staff at the National Archives Delhi, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Delhi, The Freud Museum Archives, London, the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, The Freud Archives at the Library of Congress, Washington D.C., and of course the librarians at the Asian and African Studies reading room in the British Library. Dr. Santanu Das provided many interesting references on the Pathans, and Dr. Matt ffytche helped me think through my writing on Claud Daly—I’m grateful for their suggestions. I have learnt a lot from Dr. Peter Howarth about poetry and teaching. For many thought-provoking discussions I thank the participants, and organisers of the Forum for Psychoanalytic Thought, History and Political Life in London, the Modern South Asia Workshop at Yale University, the Middlesex Psychoanalysis Conference, and the Centre for Study in the Social Sciences’ Cultural Studies Workshop, Santiniketan. 6 Colin MacCabe first got me thinking about writing a PhD. Speaking with him is always a delight, and his support has meant the world. I also owe so much to Flavia Lambert’s warm hospitality. Together they’ve given me some of the best conversations during the time I’ve been writing this dissertation. The early part of this research was carried out in Calcutta and I’m immensely grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to work and live there. Speaking with Dr Bodhisattva Kar allowed me to negotiate the city through its libraries and archives, and the generosity with which he shared his thoughts and sources means that even after all these years I haven’t been able to follow through on his extensive suggestions. I thank Prof. Sibaji Bandhopadhyay and Prof. Tapati Guha-Thakurta for letting me audit their courses at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences. Swati Chatterjee taught me how to navigate the National Library, Agniva Ghosh suggested many useful sources, Titas De Sarkar helped with Bengali, and accompanied me through the by-lanes of College Street in attempts to find obscure publishers, and Sebanti Chatterjee provided a place to stay on research visits. I wouldn’t have been able to carry out this research without them or the many others who were so forthcoming with tea and conversation.