Aryanism, Martial Race Theory, and Sikh Identity

The importance of the discovery of classical Indian culture by British colonial intellectuals paved the way, as is well known, for a notion of Aryanism as a shorthand description of populations speaking an Indo-European language. This article explores the colonial context in which the idea of Aryanism was articulated, and how it also took on board caste-based social distinctions in order to formulate a colonialist theory as to which ethnic communities were fit or unfit for military service. The influence of this “Martial Race Theory” was noticeable especially in its characterization and the social positing of the Sikh community.