“A Conquest Foretold” by Ranajit Guha: Summary and Critique

Introduction: “A Conquest Foretold” by Ranajit Guha

“A Conquest Foretold” by Ranajit Guha, first appeared in 1998 in the Subaltern Studies journal, holds significant importance in literature and literary theory due to its groundbreaking approach to historical narratives. Guha’s work challenged the traditional Eurocentric perspective, focusing instead on the voices and experiences of the subaltern, or the marginalized sections of society. By examining the conquest of Bengal from the perspective of the conquered, Guha offered a radically different understanding of historical events and laid the foundation for postcolonial studies.

Summary of “A Conquest Foretold” by Ranajit Guha

1. Historical Context of British Conquest in India: Ranajit Guha’s article, A Conquest Foretold, explores the significance of the British conquest of India, particularly focusing on the Battle of Plassey in 1757. This battle marked a pivotal moment in British colonial history, representing the beginning of British dominance in Bengal. However, Guha emphasizes that the conquest of India was a gradual process, not confined to one battle, but unfolding over a century through a series of military victories, political maneuvering, and annexations. (“The conquest… would take nearly one hundred more years of war, intrigue, and piecemeal annexation.” p. 87)
2. Colonial Historiography and the Right of Conquest: Guha critiques colonial historians’ portrayal of the British conquest as inevitable, examining how early colonial histories constructed a narrative of the British “right of arms” in India. He references Alexander Dow’s The History of Hindostan, which asserted that the East India Company ruled Bengal by the “right of arms” rather than by political legitimacy. Guha contrasts this view with classical political philosophy, such as Hobbes, who argued that victory alone did not confer legitimate rule. A covenant or submission by the conquered was necessary to transform conqueror into ruler. (Hobbes in L eviathan p. 88)
3. Datability and the Manipulation of Historical Events: The datability of events like the Battle of Plassey, marked by its specific calendar date, is essential in colonial narratives, providing symbolic importance. Guha illustrates how colonial historiography elevated this relatively minor event into the cornerstone of British imperial expansion in South Asia. Yet, historians like William Hunter expressed doubts about the historical weight placed on Plassey, acknowledging that it was not until later events that British supremacy was truly established. (“The immediate results of the victory were comparatively small,” p. 89)
4. Conquest and Symbolism: Guha delves into how symbolic acts, such as ceremonial processions or planting flags, were used by European powers to legitimize their claims over newly conquered territories. He suggests that these acts served to codify conquest as a “right” in the colonial imagination, transforming raw military force into a legitimate, future-oriented imperial project. (Patricia Seed on colonial ceremonial acts, p. 87)
5. Conquest as Destiny: The article reflects on the notion of conquest as predestined or inevitable, drawing parallels between empire and fate. Guha refers to Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, where the protagonist Marlow reflects on empire as a journey into fate, symbolizing how European imperialism was imbued with a sense of destiny. Conquest, in this view, is not merely an act of force but a fateful event intertwined with historical and existential meaning. (Marlow’s reflection on empire, p. 91)
6. The Duality of Conquest Narratives: Guha concludes by acknowledging the duality of conquest narratives—one told by the conquerors and another by the conquered. The former celebrates victory and power, often through grandiose depictions of empire, while the latter is marked by trauma, loss, and despair. Guha argues that the story of conquest is incomplete without acknowledging both perspectives, as the voices of the conquered tell a narrative of resistance and survival. (“There is no conquest that has only one story to it,” p. 95)
7. Conquest as Pain and Nationalism: The article also explores the psychological impact of conquest on the colonized, drawing from Freud’s ideas on trauma. Guha suggests that the memory of conquest, particularly traumatic events like the Battle of Plassey, fuels nationalist sentiment, with the pain of defeat being recontextualized into a source of strength for anti-colonial movements. (“Consequently, for every narrative of triumph… there is a counternarrative of defeat,” p. 97)

Literary Terms/Concepts in “A Conquest Foretold” by Ranajit Guha

Term/Concept	Definition (in the context of the essay)	Example
Datability	The quality of being able to be assigned a specific date or time	The Battle of Plassey being dated June 23, 1757
Foretelling	The act of predicting the future	Historians manipulating the date of the Battle of Plassey to mark the beginning of the British Raj
Historiography	The study and writing of history	William Hunter’s work on the British Raj
Linear concept of time	The idea that time progresses in a straight line from past to future	Hunter’s view of history separates past from future
Narrative	A story	The story of the British conquest of India
Past	A period of time preceding the present	The Mughal Empire existing before the British conquest
Present	The current time	The pain of colonization felt by the author’s generation
Prophecy	A prediction about the future, especially one claimed to be made by a divine or supernatural agency	The oracle at Delphi refusing to answer Oedipus about his past and instead prophesying his future
Ruse	A cunning trick or maneuver	Historians manipulating the date of the Battle of Plassey
Selectivity	The act of choosing some things and rejecting others	Historians focusing on the Battle of Plassey but not the struggles of ordinary people
Temporality	The state or fact of being subject to or influenced by time	The conquest being spread out over many years despite a specific battle date
Temporality (of discourse)	The way a text or speech refers to time	The blurring of past, present, and future in narratives of empire
Traffic between past and future	The way narratives connect past events to future outcomes	The Battle of Plassey being seen as leading to the British Raj

Contribution of “A Conquest Foretold” by Ranajit Guha to Literary Theory/Theories

1. Critique of Colonial Historiography
   Guha critiques how colonial historians, particularly those in British India, manipulated historical events like the Battle of Plassey to construct a narrative of inevitable conquest. He questions the use of “right of arms” and challenges the portrayal of British imperial dominance as preordained, which adds to postcolonial theory by highlighting the role of historiography in legitimizing colonial rule. (“The ruse of a colonialist writing seems to have manipulated the datability of a relatively minor conflict,” p. 89)
2. Symbolism and the Legitimation of Conquest
   The article introduces the concept of symbolic acts as a means of legitimizing imperial domination, contributing to cultural theory. Guha shows how European colonizers used ceremonies and cultural signs, such as planting flags or performing rituals, to symbolically convert conquest into a legal and moral right. This perspective ties into theories of power and authority in colonial discourse. (“It requires a symbolic mediation for the moment of conquest to be assimilated into law as a right,” p. 87)
3. Temporal Ambiguity and Historicization
   Guha discusses the manipulation of time and historicity in colonial narratives, particularly how events are given meaning through selective historicization. He draws attention to the anachronistic nature of colonial narratives, which blend past and future to create a linear progression of imperial expansion. This analysis contributes to narrative theory by exposing how temporal structures are constructed and manipulated in historical writing. (“The event had jumped the boundary of a narrowly chronological history,” p. 94)
4. Duality of Conquest Narratives
   Guha emphasizes the existence of two competing narratives in any conquest—one from the perspective of the conqueror and the other from the conquered. This idea adds to theories of subaltern studies and postcolonial theory by giving voice to the marginalized, arguing that the history of conquest is incomplete without acknowledging both stories. (“For every narrative of triumph and hope told in the conqueror’s voice, there is a counternarrative of defeat and despair,” p. 97)
5. Conquest and Fate in Postcolonial Discourse
   Guha integrates the concept of fate with empire, comparing the historical trajectory of European conquests with existential ideas of destiny. This aligns with postcolonial theories that interpret empire as a project tied to metaphysical and ideological narratives, not just military power. His reflection on fate contributes to literary theory by connecting historical events with existential and philosophical themes. (“What enables us to speak of empire and fate together in this context is that both are distinguished by a certain traffic between past and future,” p. 91)
6. Historicizing Trauma in Postcolonial Theory
   The article explores how the trauma of defeat, such as that experienced in the Battle of Plassey, becomes central to nationalist movements and anti-colonial sentiment. Guha’s reference to Freud’s analysis of trauma positions historical pain as a driving force in the creation of nationalist ideologies, adding to theories of trauma studies in postcolonial contexts. (“The pain of defeat turned the order of events back on itself in popular recollection,” p. 97)
7. Critique of Linear Time in Historical Narratives
   Guha questions the linear conception of time in traditional historiography, aligning with theories that challenge Eurocentric notions of historical progression. He argues that the colonial conquest narrative manipulates chronology to create a seamless transition from violence to legitimacy. This contributes to critical historical theory by showing how time can be used as a tool of ideological control. (“No wonder that William Hunter… found it hard to explain the datability of Plassey in terms of the conquest of India,” p. 94)
8. Spiritualization of Conquest
   Guha discusses how the idea of conquest is elevated beyond mere military achievement, becoming a spiritual and providential act. This idea critiques how colonial powers sanctified their actions through a higher moral or divine purpose, contributing to the discussion of ideology in literary theory. (“What redeems it is the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretense but an idea; and an unselfish belief in the idea,” p. 92)
9. Counter-Narratives and Nationalism
   The article highlights how the colonized transform the pain of conquest into nationalist ideologies, framing resistance as a sacred duty. This adds to theories of nationalism and resistance in postcolonial studies by showing how the colonized recontextualize their historical experiences to fuel anti-colonial movements. (“It is the fire of an equally sacred but adversary and flawed religiosity with its own universalist pretensions,” p. 97)

Examples of Critiques Through “A Conquest Foretold” by Ranajit Guha

Literary Work	Critique
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad	Guha’s critique of the “idea” of conquest could be applied to Marlow’s journey into the Congo, highlighting the destructive nature of colonialism and its impact on individuals and societies.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe	Achebe’s novel presents a similar theme of colonial conquest, but from the perspective of the colonized people. Guha’s essay could be used to analyze the ways in which the colonizers justified their actions and the impact of this on the colonized.
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling	While Kipling’s stories are often romanticized, they can also be seen as reflecting colonial attitudes and the idea of the “white man’s burden.” Guha’s critique could be used to analyze the ways in which these stories reinforce colonial ideology.
The Postcolonial Imagination by Ashis Nandy	Nandy’s book explores the psychological and cultural impact of colonialism. Guha’s essay could be used to analyze how the “conquest foretold” shaped the postcolonial imagination and the ways in which colonized people responded to their experiences.

Criticism Against “A Conquest Foretold” by Ranajit Guha

Suggested Readings: “A Conquest Foretold” by Ranajit Guha

Representative Quotations from “A Conquest Foretold” by Ranajit Guha with Explanation

Quotation	Explanation
“The conquest would take nearly one hundred more years of war, intrigue, and piecemeal annexation…” (p. 87)	Guha highlights that British conquest was a prolonged and complex process, not just a singular event. This challenges simplified narratives of colonial history.
“It requires a symbolic mediation for the moment of conquest to be assimilated into law as a right.” (p. 87)	Guha emphasizes the role of symbolic acts in legitimizing conquest. This relates to how colonial powers turned violent conquests into legally justified claims.
“The event had jumped the boundary of a narrowly chronological history and merged metonymically and providentially into the conquest to come.” (p. 94)	Guha critiques how the Battle of Plassey was retrospectively elevated to symbolize the inevitable British conquest, highlighting the manipulation of history.
“For every narrative of triumph and hope told in the conqueror’s voice, there is a counternarrative of defeat and despair told by the conquered.” (p. 97)	Guha points out the duality in conquest narratives, contrasting the victor’s celebratory story with the subjugated people’s tale of suffering.
“What redeems it is the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretense but an idea; and an unselfish belief in the idea.” (p. 92)	This quotation discusses how colonial conquests were often justified by a supposedly higher “idea” or mission, reflecting ideological underpinnings of empire.
“The pain of defeat turned the order of events back on itself in popular recollection.” (p. 97)	Guha explores how the trauma of conquest is internalized and remembered, especially among the colonized, influencing nationalist and resistance movements.
“No wonder that William Hunter… found it hard to explain the datability of Plassey in terms of the conquest of India.” (p. 94)	Guha critiques the colonial historiographical struggle to present the Battle of Plassey as the definitive moment of British conquest, exposing its artificial elevation.
“The conquest of earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves…” (p. 92)	Here, Guha quotes Heart of Darkness to critique the racial and violent underpinnings of colonial conquest, connecting literature to historical analysis.
“It is the fire of an equally sacred but adversary and flawed religiosity with its own universalist pretensions.” (p. 97)	Guha critiques nationalist movements for mirroring the same sacred, universalist rhetoric used by colonizers, showing the complexity of postcolonial identity formation.
“The story of conquest is therefore only half a story pretending to be the whole.” (p. 96)	Guha asserts that traditional conquest narratives are incomplete, as they omit the perspective and experiences of the conquered, revealing the biased nature of history.