• ISBN13: 9789390232451
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: History
• Publisher: Ratna Sagar
• Publisher Imprint: PrimusBook
• Publication Date: December 16, 2020
• Pages: 320
• Original Price: INR 1195.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 540 grams

This volume argues that concepts and ideologies shaped the practice of British rule in India; impacted policies and laws, and were embodied in institutions and practices, affecting both governance and Indian experience. Engaging with questions of historiography, it calls for a balanced assessment of India’s growth or decline under British rule. Ideas matter examines revenue policies and their consequences, generally but particularly in Bihar, stressing continuities from pre-colonial times but also discussing major changes deriving from British laws. Two chapters analyse the rationale and impact of the Bengal tenancy Act of 1885. Others discuss communal identities and the effects of colonial categorization, probing the significance of interpretations of the 1857 revolt and the Amritsar massacre of 1919, and considering the overtly non-communalist Abdul latif (1828–93) and educational reforms intended to benefit Bengali Muslims. The book examines British and Indian nationalism; commemoration of colonial rule and Indian resistance; the reification of politico-religious identities; and concepts and misconceptions that shaped policy and law, especially those affecting rural India.

Peter Robb is Professor Emeritus and formerly Professor of the History of India and Pro-Director, at SOAS (University of London). He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow and former President of the Royal Asiatic Society. His monographs include The Government of India and Reform (1976); A History of India (2002 and 2011); and three books on early Calcutta (2011 and 2014). He has written four books partly or wholly about Bihar, including Ancient Rights and Future Comfort (1997) on the Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885 and its impact.