Empire in the Hills
Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacamund, and Mount Abu, 1820–1920
Price: 995.00 INR
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ISBN:
9780199463558
Publication date:
16/01/2017
Hardback
456 pages
Price: 995.00 INR
We sell our titles through other companies
Disclaimer :You will be redirected to a third party website.The sole responsibility of supplies, condition of the product, availability of stock, date of delivery, mode of payment will be as promised by the said third party only. Prices and specifications may vary from the OUP India site.
ISBN:
9780199463558
Publication date:
16/01/2017
Hardback
456 pages
Queeny Pradhan
A large number of hill stations were developed by the British in the Indian colony and these were chosen as the summer capitals and seats of administrative authority of the Raj. This work looks at the way the Empire was built in the hills through the sites of the church, schools, and sport activities to imitate the lifestyle of the British.
Rights: World Rights
Queeny Pradhan
Description
In the early phase of imperial domination, hill stations such as Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacamund, and Mount Abu were developed by the British to reflect a quintessentially European culture and ethos. Serving as recuperation sites for the sick and wounded, these hill spaces provided respite from the harsh climate of the plains. Adorned with sprawling bungalows and lush gardens, imposing churches and stately public buildings, the topography of such spaces was refashioned to reflect the multiple visions of this burgeoning empire.
Moving away from the history of the plains, in Empire in the Hills Pradhan lays bare the yet untold narrative of resistance of the hills people against British domination. The book focuses on the three-point agenda of the colonizers: erasing indigenous histories, marginalizing hill inhabitants, and foisting a culture of leisure. In doing so, it also dwells on the ways in which an exercise of benevolent paternalism was carried out to recast the hill communities vis-à-vis their usefulness to the colonial capitalist enterprise. Drawn from a vast repertoire of oral and archival sources, this work probes the linkages between empire, space, and culture as it positions the poignant presence of the locals and puts forth a telling narrative of their world view.
About the Author
Queeny Pradhan is a professor of history at the University School of Law and Legal Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India. She was awarded the Nehru Memorial Fund Scholarship for doctoral research in 1996 and was a fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, from 2010 to 2012.
Queeny Pradhan
Table of contents
List of Table and Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Re-Imagining Hills—Theorizing Space
1 Hills in the Colonial Imagination
2 The Indigenous Vision
3 Acquiring the Station: Political Dynamics
4 Building the Station: The Early Years
5 Organization of Space: The Imperial Spectacle
6 Reordering the Space: A Colonial Metropolis
7 Hygeia, Disease, Municipal Order: A Paradox in the Dell
8 Social Life in the Hills: Institutionalization of Leisure
9 Reproduction of Imperial Ethics: Novitiate in the Hills
Conclusion: Power Hieroglyphics—Patterns of Growth
Appendix 1: Treaty of 1861 between Ashley Eden and the Maharaja of Sikkim
Appendix 2: Convention between Great Britain and China on Sikkim and Tibet, 1890
Appendix 3: Regulations regarding Trade, Communication, and Pasturage under the Sikkim–Tibet Convention
Appendix 4: A Description of Indian Servants at Simla
Appendix 5: Education as an Ordering Device in Simla
Appendix 6: An Extract from W.B. Jackson’s Report on Darjeeling
Appendix 7: First Cornerstone of Christ Church, Simla, 9 September 1844
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Queeny Pradhan
Queeny Pradhan
Review
‘This is a richly researched and lucidly written work of scholarship, perhaps the most thorough study yet written on Indian hill stations. Its sweep is impressive—covering ecology, culture, politics, and architecture. The author makes use of a wide range of archival materials, and both Indian and British perspectives are well represented.’
Ramachandra Guha
Description
In the early phase of imperial domination, hill stations such as Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacamund, and Mount Abu were developed by the British to reflect a quintessentially European culture and ethos. Serving as recuperation sites for the sick and wounded, these hill spaces provided respite from the harsh climate of the plains. Adorned with sprawling bungalows and lush gardens, imposing churches and stately public buildings, the topography of such spaces was refashioned to reflect the multiple visions of this burgeoning empire.
Moving away from the history of the plains, in Empire in the Hills Pradhan lays bare the yet untold narrative of resistance of the hills people against British domination. The book focuses on the three-point agenda of the colonizers: erasing indigenous histories, marginalizing hill inhabitants, and foisting a culture of leisure. In doing so, it also dwells on the ways in which an exercise of benevolent paternalism was carried out to recast the hill communities vis-à-vis their usefulness to the colonial capitalist enterprise. Drawn from a vast repertoire of oral and archival sources, this work probes the linkages between empire, space, and culture as it positions the poignant presence of the locals and puts forth a telling narrative of their world view.
About the Author
Queeny Pradhan is a professor of history at the University School of Law and Legal Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India. She was awarded the Nehru Memorial Fund Scholarship for doctoral research in 1996 and was a fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, from 2010 to 2012.
Reviews
‘This is a richly researched and lucidly written work of scholarship, perhaps the most thorough study yet written on Indian hill stations. Its sweep is impressive—covering ecology, culture, politics, and architecture. The author makes use of a wide range of archival materials, and both Indian and British perspectives are well represented.’
Ramachandra Guha
Table of contents
List of Table and Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Re-Imagining Hills—Theorizing Space
1 Hills in the Colonial Imagination
2 The Indigenous Vision
3 Acquiring the Station: Political Dynamics
4 Building the Station: The Early Years
5 Organization of Space: The Imperial Spectacle
6 Reordering the Space: A Colonial Metropolis
7 Hygeia, Disease, Municipal Order: A Paradox in the Dell
8 Social Life in the Hills: Institutionalization of Leisure
9 Reproduction of Imperial Ethics: Novitiate in the Hills
Conclusion: Power Hieroglyphics—Patterns of Growth
Appendix 1: Treaty of 1861 between Ashley Eden and the Maharaja of Sikkim
Appendix 2: Convention between Great Britain and China on Sikkim and Tibet, 1890
Appendix 3: Regulations regarding Trade, Communication, and Pasturage under the Sikkim–Tibet Convention
Appendix 4: A Description of Indian Servants at Simla
Appendix 5: Education as an Ordering Device in Simla
Appendix 6: An Extract from W.B. Jackson’s Report on Darjeeling
Appendix 7: First Cornerstone of Christ Church, Simla, 9 September 1844
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
