What role did the Empire play in modern constitution of identities in India? Liberalism, Modernity, and the Nation explores interconnections between liberal rhetoric, modern technology and governance, and the constitution of modern identities including the nation. Focusing on Indian encounters with British constitutional and political policy, it brings together seminal writings of a distinguished academician. Dwelling on a colonial cast-list ranging from Clive to Attlee, Peter Robb discusses subjects as diverse as the uprisings of 1857, the policies of Ripon, the writings of Kipling, and the education of latter-day ICS officers. The spatial and temporal component of the themes investigated is striking–Colin Mackenzie’s survey of Mysore, the trial of Indian ‘Wahhabis’, administrative ‘assimilation’ of North Eastern hill peoples, and the religious and nationalist dilemmas represented by M.A. Ansari. The volume also considers such issues as mapping of space, setting of administrative boundaries, definition of languages, policies towards representation and popular education, and the onset of decolonization. Tracing deeper connections across apparent subject boundaries, this book, like its companion Peasants, Political Economy, and Law, revisits the debate on the impact of empire on both Britain and India. It also offers a further reflection on the questions raised in Robb’s earlier works. On account of its engagement with topical themes, interesting details, and arguments, this collection will be of enormous interest to historians, sociologists, economists, political scientists, and the informed general reader.
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