1928 Institute

The 1928 Institute, formerly India League, is a think tank active in the United Kingdom.

For the body founded in 1928 from which the 1928 Institute takes its name, see India League.

History

The think tank was co-founded by two academics at the University of Oxford in 2020,[1][2][3] "to continue the work of the original India League", itself founded in 1928.[4][5] Initially using the India League name, the think tank rebranded itself the 1928 Institute in October 2020.[3][6][7] The 1928 Institute has run an online survey of British Indians, collecting socioeconomic data as well as information on political opinions, media representation of the community, religious identity, experience of racism and domestic violence, and the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] In January 2021, the Institute announced that its research showed that 56 per cent of British Indians would take a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 79 per cent of the overall population.[2] One of the Institute's co-founders stated that "It seems that the Indian/south Asian population in general have been really falling prey to [misinformation] through things like WhatsApp forwards and fake news. And a lot of it seems to be directed at fertility, which is, I think, very interesting because there is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine causes fertility issues".[1]

Writing for Byline Times, Amrit Wilson wrote that "while the India League saw the struggle in India as part of a larger struggle against imperialism and racism – and included such socialists and anti-imperialists as Harold Laski, Bertrand Russell and Fenner Brockway – the 1928 Institute's list of 'notable members' includes a corporate billionaire who admires [Narendra] Modi. Even the Prince of Udaipur, scion of one of India's most wealthy oppressor caste Rajput dynasties, is on board". The organisation responded by stating that it had "diverse members with no influence over the organisation".[8]

As of April 2022, the 1928 Institute describes itself as "a not-for-profit University of Oxford spin-out" with a mission to "research and represent British Indians", "provide analysis on the emerging events in the Indian Sub-continent and within its diaspora" and "be a platform for dialogue for the diaspora and to disrupt 'echo-chambers'".[9]

The Institute acts as the secretariat for the India (Trade and Investment) All Party Parliamentary Group, which was created in July 2022.[10]

References
  1. Giordano, Chiara (2021). "Just over half of British Indians would get Covid vaccine, survey shows". The Independent.
  2. "Just over half of British Indians would take COVID vaccine". University of Oxford. 2021.
  3. Pearce, Vanessa (2021). "Indian activists who helped change the face of modern Britain". BBC.
  4. "Our Story". 1928 Institute. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  5. Bhardwaj, Naina (21 February 2021). "Haunted by unfounded fears for their fertility, British Indians are more likely to resist getting COVID-19 vaccine". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  6. Sherwood, Harriet (2020). "From resisting the Raj to helping with Covid: India League reborn for the 21st century". The Guardian.
  7. @1928institute (7 October 2020). "ANNOUNCEMENT: From today we are rebranding and will operate under the name as voted by you: the 1928 Institute. The #BritishIndianCensus will be continued by the 1928 Institute, under the same leadership which initiated the study. Watch this space and DM us your thoughts" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 December 2021 – via Twitter.
  8. Wilson, Amrit (9 December 2021). "The New Strategies of Hindu Supremacists in Britain". Byline Times. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  9. "Our Mission". 1928 Institute. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  10. "New UK parliamentary panel to promote trade, investment ties with India". The Economic Times. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
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