Caught Between Two Cultures: Science in Nineteenth Century Bengal

In his book The Social Function of Science (1939) talking about science in colonial India, J D Bernal wrote about the lack of a comprehensive critical tradition and of an internal security. Ever since I first read the comment in the 70s, I have wondered what exactly the two phrases meant. At the outer level was the obvious fact of colonialism but there were other intertwined layers needing exploration.