Wikipedia defines Évolué as a French label used during the colonial era to refer to a
native African or Asian who had "evolved" by becoming Europeanised
through education or assimilation and had accepted European values and patterns
of behavior. Anglicized in case of Indians.
Patricia Crone in "The Nativist Prophets of Early Islamic Iran" talks about two Évolués- 1.Non-Arabs like Iranians or Berbers (conquered and ruled by Arabs in seventh and early eighth centuries) and 2. Indians (ruled by British, a proxy for Europeans). She raises a pertinent question:
"Why did the Arab and European expansions have such different effects
on the conquered peoples? Both provoked nativist revolts, but the frequency
seems to have been greater on the European than the Muslim side. Also both had to cope with angry évolués, but it was only on the European
side that these évolués aimed at secession with reference to their own
separate identity.
Non-Arab évolués accepted Islam and the political unity it
had brought while évolués of the European empires accepted the
secular culture brought by the Europeans, but not the political unity they
had established. Why this difference?"
Firstly, Arabs propounded Imamate while Europeans offered Nation State. Nationalism links political organisation with
people’s separate identities, emphasizing ethnic or racial differences. On the contrary, the Imamate links political organisation
with shared convictions, emphasizing faith that transcends
such distinctions, having supranational connotation. For example, Muslim rulers continued to get the certificate, banner and robe of honour from Caliphs which sanctified their rule over infidels unlike British who viewed Indian as a distinct nation; albeit an inferior one.
Secondly, unlike the converts to the
secular culture of the Europeans the many who converted to Islam became
members of the same political and moral community as the conquerors (ummah). A non-Arab Muslim was not just an évolué but also
a citizen. Conversion admitted vanquished natives to the
ranks of the imperial elite more or less at will. Say a convert could found a Islamic kingdom and get certificate from Caliph. Say a Bahmani Kingdom and or a Malik Kafur.
As the Author says- "Westernisation did not confer membership of
the conquerors’ polity. Nehru may have been the last Englishman to rule
India, as he told Galbraith with reference to his thoroughly English culture;
but he ruled India precisely because he had participated in the eviction of
the British, not because he had received British citizenship or appointment
as viceroy of India from them. Westernisation never amounted to membership
of the imperial elite."
Évolués like Nehru (or most of the Indian Middle class for that matter) did not belong
anywhere; they were politically homeless.
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