An Anti-Imperialist Impostor: Devendra Nath Bannerjea's Short Career in the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation

This article focuses on the unique case of Devendra Nath Bannerjea, an Indian colonial migrant, and his deceptive interactions with the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation (ICIC) of the League of Nations. Bannerjea, who critically viewed British colonial rule in India, was a member of the ICIC from 1922 to 1924. To this day, he is erroneously described in the official history and in academic work on the ICIC as a professor of political economy from the University of Calcutta. In contrast to other Indian impostors and anti-imperial activists, Bannerjea did not change his name or alter his class or racial identity, though he shared the intention of gaining an advantage through his deception. His disguise primarily concerned his intellectual credentials as a reputed scholar. Bannerjea's case raises several questions concerning the workings of the League of Nations and of the British colonial government, as well as the implications of such imposturous impersonation in the context of representing colonial interests and statehood within an international organisation. Moreover, it prompts the question of what extent Bannerjea's facade of being a renowned scholar at the ICIC influenced his anti-imperialist agenda.