1900 King's and the Staffing of empire

By the 1850s King’s had established a close relationship to the East India Company. This provided both employment for former students and opportunities to expand the university’s teaching. Engineering, Military Studies, Oriental Languages, and Law all had close connections to the EIC. In terms of teaching, they were structured to provide training and generate new knowledge for those contemplating careers in India and the wider empire, while several of the fellowship transferred directly from working for the expanding imperial state to teaching in Higher Education (and vice versa). The EIC made a donation to King’s upon its founding and continued support into the 1850s. King’s continued to supply officials to various branches of the Indian Civil Service throughout the second half of the nineteenth century and a growing number to the Colonial Service during the twentieth century. Involvement in the training and supply of imperial recruits allowed King’s to expand its academic portfolio. As part of the University of London, the college continued to deliver pre-deployment training and used this commitment to appoint new chairs and lecturers in History and Asian languages.

So what question…

Questions around relationship with wider organisations and power: Careers paths – how does King’s direct and facilitate access to different types of careers. Does the university have an ethical responsibility to direct students towards certain careers?