The British Council in India, 1945-1955: Preserving “old relationships under new forms.”

Alice Byrne (1)

1 LERMA - Laboratoire d'Etudes et de Recherche sur le Monde Anglophone

The Labour government elected in 1945/1950, and the Conservative one which succeeded it, were determined to maintain a world role for the UK with the Empire and Commonwealth as its cornerstone. By 1945, Indian Independence was inevitable, the only question that remained was what form it would take. It was hoped that a smooth transition would encourage India’s new leaders to maintain a strong connection with Britain, ideally as a member of the Commonwealth. Cultural and educational diplomacy were seen as ways of maintaining that connection despite the loss of direct political control. It was in this context that the British government finally agreed to
 sanction, and fund, the establishment of the British Council in India. 
It is with this process, the obstacles it encountered and the objectives pursued by the Council in newly independent India that this chapter is
concerned. The chronological focus is on the first decade of peace after 
the end of World War Two but the British
 Council’s wartime role and contacts with India form the background to
 this story and the starting point of this chapter.

Mots clés: Britain; India; Decolonisation; Cultural diplomacy; educational diplomacy; British Council

Domaines: Histoire

Alice Byrne. The British Council in India, 1945-1955: Preserving “old relationships under new forms.”. Laurent DORNEL et Michael PARSONS. Fins d’empires / Ends of Empires , 5, Presses de l’Université de Pau et des pays de l’Adour, pp.119-135, 2016, Figures et perspectives ; Espaces, Frontières, Métissages, 2-35311-077-0. ⟨hal-01420450⟩