International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

E-ISSN: 2582-2160     Impact Factor: 9.24

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Call for Paper Volume 7, Issue 4 (July-August 2025) Submit your research before last 3 days of August to publish your research paper in the issue of July-August.

The Medicalisation of a Colonial Space: Sanatoria, Public Health, and the Political Geography of Darjeeling

Author(s) Mr. PRATIT TAMANG
Country India
Abstract This article interrogates the entangled histories of colonial medicine, spatial governance, and public health infrastructure in the Darjeeling Hills. It critically analyses how British colonial authorities deployed medical rationalities—particularly through the construction of sanatoria and health institutions—as instruments of imperial control and spatial reconfiguration. The medicalisation of Darjeeling, far from being a neutral or purely humanitarian endeavour, served to legitimise the consolidation of British authority in a strategically vital frontier region. Through a close reading of archival records, colonial gazetteers, and secondary literature, the study charts the transformation of Darjeeling from a peripheral frontier into a militarised cantonment and elite European hill station. It further examines the long-term implications of these interventions on postcolonial healthcare trajectories in the region. By foregrounding the intersections of biopolitics, empire, and geography, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the colonial legacies embedded in the region’s health infrastructure.
Keywords Colonial medicine, biopolitics, Darjeeling Hills, sanatoria, spatial governance
Published In Volume 7, Issue 4, July-August 2025
Published On 2025-08-03
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i04.52705
Short DOI https://doi.org/g9vzj8

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