Western and Colonial Perspectives on India

==== Orientalist Scholarship (18th–Early 19th Centuries) ====
By the end of the 18th century, the British officials developed Orientalism, or the study of India's ancient texts. Sir William Jones, founder of the Asiatic Society, translated works like Manusmriti and Shakuntala. The Orientalist maintained that India was once great but had declined over time, so British rule was a means of restoring its glory.

But Orientalism was also paternalistic. In defining India as a fallen civilization, it made the justification for colonial rule as a reforming mission. As Dirks said, “Knowledge of India became essential to the control of India.”<sup>6</sup>