2026/05/22 by Stewart J. Brown
Arts and Humanities · #Moravian Church and William Blake #Religion, Gender, and Enlightenment #Scottish History and National Identity
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/stc.2026.10051
openalex publication_date 2026/05/22 · openalex created_date 2026/05/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/24
The Punjab school, a network of soldier-administrators involved in the conquest and governance of the Punjab between the mid-1840s and mid-1860s, had a profound influence on British Christian attitudes towards the empire in India. The network included some sixty army officers and civilian administrators, who were characterized by military valour, a strict sense of duty, emphasis on moral character, paternalist attitudes, philanthropic activism, imperialist beliefs, and an evangelical Christian faith. They exercised considerable personal authority under what was called the ‘non-regulation’ system. Members of the network supported the expansion of Christian missions in the Punjab, viewing the empire as having a providential purpose for the spread of Christianity.