Healing and colonialism: colonial hospitals, indigenous agency, and the politics of health in colonial Peshawar (1849–1947)

Abstract This article explores how colonial medicine in Peshawar during British rule became a tangible and transformative force embedded in everyday life through institutional structures, local interactions, and socio-cultural negotiations. Situated within the broader historical and geopolitical dynamics of the British Empire in South Asia, colonial health initiatives were not merely about healing but also about reinforcing imperial control. Medical policies materialized in the form of hospitals, dispensaries, and public health laws, which were strategically designed to serve colonial interests while projecting humanitarian intent. The article examines how these medical interventions were translated into visible and experiential forms – through missionary hospitals, sanitary campaigns, vaccination drives, and the mobilization of indigenous healers and midwives – creating an environment where Western biomedicine coexisted with, contested, and gradually integrated into local systems of knowledge and belief. Special attention is given to how these institutions negotiated gender norms, religious anxieties, and professional resistance, thereby constructing a new medical landscape. Drawing on archival records, official correspondence, and statistical data from the late 19th to mid-20th century, the study reveals how colonial medical infrastructure shaped everyday life in Peshawar and redefined the material and ideological contours of health, healing, and governance.