This essay revisits the events surrounding one of the most emblematic instances of colonial violence, namely the Amritsar Massacre of 1919, through the diary of an Englishwoman, Mrs. Melicent Wathen. Where most histories of the Amritsar Massacre emphasize British brutality and Indian suffering, Melicent’s experience was instead characterized by fear and the uncertainty of what became a headlong flight from Empire. Her diary thus offers an intimate account of colonial crisis. If we are to engage comprehensively with the lived experience of empire, the forms and functions of colonial fears and anxieties must be acknowledged; not because colonial panics were caused by real threats, which often they were not, but because they played such a crucial role in shaping colonial policies and in framing the relationship between rulers and ruled.

中文翻译：

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阿姆利则的恐惧和厌恶：对殖民危机的亲密描述

本文通过一位英国妇女梅利森特·瓦森夫人的日记，重温了围绕殖民暴力最具象征意义的事件之一，即 1919 年的阿姆利则大屠杀所发生的事件。大多数阿姆利则大屠杀的历史都强调英国的暴行和印第安人的苦难，而梅利森特的经历则以恐惧和不确定性为特征，因为它变成了从帝国的逃亡。因此，她的日记提供了对殖民危机的亲密描述。如果我们要全面接触帝国的生活经验，就必须承认殖民恐惧和焦虑的形式和功能；不是因为殖民恐慌是由真正的威胁引起的，而事实往往并非如此，而是因为它们在塑造殖民政策和构建统治者与被统治者之间的关系方面发挥了至关重要的作用。