Mahmuda Akter Poly
Thesis
Thesis
Disciplinary Dietetics: An Exploration of the Role of Diet in the Prisons of Bengal (1860-1947)
Supervisor: Sabine Clarke
Research
Research
Diet emerged as one of the most crucial components in the colonial prisons in Bengal, linked not only to biological needs, but also reflected religious, cultural, and political identity. The colonial government’s responsibility to provide sustenance for inmates necessitated a number of dietary experiments during the 2nd half of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The aim of these food trials was to formulate a standard diet sufficient to maintain inmates’ health.
However, determining dietary standards for prisoners was complicated, as it required a balance between nutritional needs and disciplinary and deterrent aspects of food. Therefore, the dietary provisions in Bengal jails triggered a great deal of debate throughout the British colonial period. The existing scholarship highlights the food-based resistance in prisons, particularly hunger strikes; however, there is little research on the complex interplay between diet, gender, disease, and labour issues.
Drawing on a wide range of archival materials in English and Bengali, my research investigates the significant impact of food on prisoner mortality, the limitations of nutrition, the divergent perspectives of prison officials and inmates regarding food, and the challenges in establishing a uniform diet.
