Empire and Information: Intelligence Gathering and Social Communication in India, 1780-1870

ISBN-13: 9780521570855 / Angielski / Twarda / 1997 / 428 str.

Christopher Alan Bayly; Christopher Alan Bayly; Rajnarayan Chandavarkar

Opis

In a penetrating account of the evolution of British intelligence gathering in India, C. A. Bayly shows how networks of Indian spies, runners and political secretaries were recruited by the British to secure information about their subjects. He also examines the social and intellectual origins of these informants, and considers how the colonial authorities interpreted and often misinterpreted the information they supplied. As Professor Bayly demonstrates, it was such misunderstandings which ultimately contributed to the failure of the British to anticipate the mutinies of 1857. He argues, however, that, even before this, India's complex systems of communication were challenging the political and intellectual dominance of the European rulers.

Recenzje

'This absorbing and persuasive study of a vital but neglected area of historical enquiry offers valuable insights into the complex interaction of East and West during the nineteenth century and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the shaping of modern India.' Economic History Review

Spis treści

List of maps; Preface; Glossary; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Prologue: surveillance and communication in early modern India; 2. Political intelligence and indigenous informants during the conquest of India, c. 1785–1815; 3. Misinformation and failure on the fringes of empire; 4. Between human intelligence and colonial knowledge; 5. The Indian ecumene: an indigenous public sphere; 6. Useful knowledge and godly society, c. 1830–50; 7. Colonial controversies: astronomers and physicians; 8. Colonial controversies: language and land; 9. The information order, the Rebellion of 1857–9 and pacification; 10. Epilogue: information, surveillance and the public arena after the Rebellion; Conclusion: 'knowing the country'; Bibliography; Index.