Fear of the False
Fear of the False uncovers colonial South Asia's critical role in the development of forensic science. Around 1900, the government of British India created a web of institutions for the scientific detection of crime. Driven by anxieties about "native mendacity," newly minted forensic analysts focuse...
में बचाया:
| मुख्य लेखक: | |
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| स्वरूप: | Online |
| भाषा: | अंग्रेज़ी |
| प्रकाशित: |
Cornell University Press
2026
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| विषय: | |
| ऑनलाइन पहुंच: | https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/111375 |
| टैग: |
कोई टैग नहीं, इस रिकॉर्ड को टैग करने वाले पहले व्यक्ति बनें!
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| _version_ | 1869526804316815360 |
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| author | Sharafi, Mitra |
| author_browse | Sharafi, Mitra |
| author_facet | Sharafi, Mitra |
| author_sort | Sharafi, Mitra |
| collection | Directory of Open Access Books |
| description | Fear of the False uncovers colonial South Asia's critical role in the development of forensic science. Around 1900, the government of British India created a web of institutions for the scientific detection of crime. Driven by anxieties about "native mendacity," newly minted forensic analysts focused on uncovering faked evidence planted by South Asians. These experts, joining toxicologists known as "chemical examiners," were supposed to extract objective, scientific truth in the service of British justice. But in trying to counteract the presumed tendency of colonized peoples to lie, the system enabled widespread misconduct by state experts, increasing the risk of wrongful convictions of South Asian defendants. Through scrupulously documented legal cases, Mitra Sharafi reveals that colonial dynamics put special pressure on the relationship between truth and justice. Examining falsity on both sides of the law through the use of testing to (mis)identify poisons, blood, and spermatozoa, as well as debates over adversarialism and inquisitorialism in the colonial courtroom, Fear of the False explores advances in forensic science and shortcuts in criminal procedure against the backdrop of colonial mistrust. Thanks to generous funding from the University of Wisconsin Law School, the ebook editions of this book are available as open access volumes through the Cornell Open initiative. |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-173634 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Cornell University Press |
| publisherStr | Cornell University Press |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-1736342026-03-19T13:26:55Z Fear of the False Sharafi, Mitra Forensic science British India Colonialism Criminal justice Expert testimony Falsification Poison detection Courtroom practices thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAZ Legal history thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHF Asian history thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAR Legal aspects of criminology Fear of the False uncovers colonial South Asia's critical role in the development of forensic science. Around 1900, the government of British India created a web of institutions for the scientific detection of crime. Driven by anxieties about "native mendacity," newly minted forensic analysts focused on uncovering faked evidence planted by South Asians. These experts, joining toxicologists known as "chemical examiners," were supposed to extract objective, scientific truth in the service of British justice. But in trying to counteract the presumed tendency of colonized peoples to lie, the system enabled widespread misconduct by state experts, increasing the risk of wrongful convictions of South Asian defendants. Through scrupulously documented legal cases, Mitra Sharafi reveals that colonial dynamics put special pressure on the relationship between truth and justice. Examining falsity on both sides of the law through the use of testing to (mis)identify poisons, blood, and spermatozoa, as well as debates over adversarialism and inquisitorialism in the colonial courtroom, Fear of the False explores advances in forensic science and shortcuts in criminal procedure against the backdrop of colonial mistrust. Thanks to generous funding from the University of Wisconsin Law School, the ebook editions of this book are available as open access volumes through the Cornell Open initiative. 2026-03-19T13:26:55Z 2026-03-19T13:26:55Z 2026-03-11T15:25:27Z 2026 book https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/111375 9781501785993 9781501786006 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/173634 eng Corpus Juris: The Humanities in Politics and Law open access Cornell University Press Cornell University Press 05937e7b-c222-4680-9580-c09c5ce7a11e 9781501785993 9781501786006 Cornell University Press 276 Ithaca open access |
| spellingShingle | Forensic science British India Colonialism Criminal justice Expert testimony Falsification Poison detection Courtroom practices thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAZ Legal history thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHF Asian history thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAR Legal aspects of criminology Sharafi, Mitra Fear of the False |
| title | Fear of the False |
| title_full | Fear of the False |
| title_fullStr | Fear of the False |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fear of the False |
| title_short | Fear of the False |
| title_sort | fear of the false |
| topic | Forensic science British India Colonialism Criminal justice Expert testimony Falsification Poison detection Courtroom practices thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAZ Legal history thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHF Asian history thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAR Legal aspects of criminology |
| topic_facet | Forensic science British India Colonialism Criminal justice Expert testimony Falsification Poison detection Courtroom practices thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAZ Legal history thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHF Asian history thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAR Legal aspects of criminology |
| url | https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/111375 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sharafimitra fearofthefalse |