Cultural Blending That Occurred When the British Colonized India Throughout the course of history, the British were known as the world's conquerors. This is because they established a series of colonies around the globe that supported the nation and its self-interest. During their occupation of India, there was focus on blending different cultures to create a unique society. (Bingham)

This transformed India from being a backward region to one that was able to improve its standard of living and make steps towards joining the modern world. The result is that a new social identify was developed. To fully understand the way that this occurred requires examining cultural blending, how it shaped their identity, if it was permanent, what caused it to change and if it was beneficial. These different factors will illustrate the way this occurred and the impact it had on India's development. (Bingham)

Description

The British first arrived in India in the early 1700s. In the beginning, a series of outposts were established by trading companies. The basic objectives were to gain access to and exploit the various natural resources of the region for their own benefit. Throughout the century, the East India Company became the most domineering. (Bingham)

They monopolized control of the region. This allowed them to manage vast amounts of land and resources....

To protect their interests, they often relied on mercenaries and the British Army. (Bingham)
This model lasted until 1858. After this time, is when India became a direct colony of Great Britain. From the 1700s until its independence in 1948, is when cultural blending occurred throughout the course of many years. This transformed society and created a shift in attitudes. (Bingham) (Kasbekar)

Cultural blending is when different ideas, attitudes, customs, traditions and racial groups are integrated together. The basic idea is that a new way of life is developed by integrating various elements together. Over the course of time, this created a new class of individuals who were a combination of them. (Bingham) (Kasbekar)

Analysis

Cultural blending has shaped the identity of India by combining Western ideals and techniques with more traditional ones. This occurred in various aspects of daily. For instance, many Indian families began to dress in Western styles when they were interacting with others on a daily basis. While at the same time, they would wear Indian attire in the home. This is something that became very common. (Bingham) (Kasbekar)

In the world of art, both cultures were blended together to create a unique style. This involved using Indian ideas and influences of their culture. Then, taking some of the concepts…