Science and Colonialism in British India

Abstract

Modern science developed by its application to the industry and commerce, and this
happened together with the colonial pursuits. Science claimed to be “modern” and
“universal,” and to change the world and human knowledge for better, but its claim to
“objectivity” and “neutrality” has been doubted in recent works. This essay examines the
relationship between the scientific developments in the West and the colonial domination
of the non-West, for which science was used as a justification. The British colonialism in
India, along with the Indian response, especially Gandhi’s, is the context of this essay.