Outline

2007 saw the 150th Anniversary of the Indian Uprising (also known as the ‘Mutiny') of 1857-58. One of the best-known episodes of both British imperial and South Asian history and a seminal event for Anglo-Indian relations, 1857 has yet to be the subject of a substantial revisionist history. In particular, the continued dominance of elitist historiography and nationalist bias in relation to 1857 has caused many important and fascinating elements to be ignored or otherwise overlooked.

'Mutiny at the Margins' was a two-year project, funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) located in the School of History, Classics & Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, which aimed to provide long overdue new perspectives on the Indian Uprising of 1857 through thematic, collaborative research, a network of international scholars, and a series of conferences, workshops and other public events held in Edinburgh, London and India in 2007-09. Discrete, but interlocking research strands concentrated on the involvement of various socially marginal groups often written out of traditional 'elite' historiography of 1857. Two full-time postdoctoral research assistants were appointed for a term of two years, and a variety of publications are planned, as well as web and teaching resources for schools and universities and an interactive Schools and Colleges Project (see under 'Events') - which can be accessed from this website.

The Edinburgh University personnel involved in the project were Crispin Bates, Marina Carter, Markus Daechsel, Caroline Lewis, Andrea Major and Kim Wagner, along with a wide variety of other support staff and academic associates.

We are very grateful for the support of the AHRC and for the assistance provided by collaborating institutions including the British Academy, the National Library of Scotland, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Jamia Milia Islamia New Delhi, the Royal Asiatic Society London, the Edinburgh Indian Association, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh University, the Centre for South Asian Studies Scotland, and various other UK and Indian-based HE institutions.