The Secret Language of Empire: East India Company Politics, Highland Networks and Colonial Masculinity in Sir John Macpherson’s Gaelic Correspondence
This article examines the practice of Gaelic letter-writing among Scottish sojourners in India, focusing on the correspondence of Sir John Macpherson (c. 1745–1821). A member of the council of the East India Company and Governor-General of Bengal between 1785 and 1786, Macpherson considered Gaelic a...
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| Xuất bản năm: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises, |
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| Tác giả chính: | |
| Định dạng: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Ngôn ngữ: | Anglais |
| Được phát hành: |
Études écossaises
2026
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| Những chủ đề: | |
| Truy cập trực tuyến: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Tóm tắt: | This article examines the practice of Gaelic letter-writing among Scottish sojourners in India, focusing on the correspondence of Sir John Macpherson (c. 1745–1821). A member of the council of the East India Company and Governor-General of Bengal between 1785 and 1786, Macpherson considered Gaelic as a strong cultural asset of decisive importance for the diaspora, using it to obscure the message from prying eyes, especially from English colleagues and rivals in Bengal and Madras. Moreover, a look at rarely seen extracts from the correspondence reveals that in a system of patronage relying heavily on interpersonal connections and kinship, Gaelic was more than a medium of confidential communication. The colonial Highland elite used it to (re)create a common sense of place, and it became an instrument of political integration and patronage. This article explores how Gaelic, a minority language formerly associated with geographical isolation, became synonymous with global opportunities in the age of proto-globalisation. |
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