Description

Book Synopsis
In Ghostly Past, Capitalist Presence, Tithi Bhattacharya maps the role that Bengali ghosts and ghost stories played in constituting the modern Indian nation, and the religious ideas seeded therein, as it emerged in dialogue with European science. Bhattacharya introduces readers to the multifarious habits and personalities of Bengal’s traditional ghosts and investigates and mourns their eventual extermination. For Bhattacharya, British colonization marked a transition from the older, multifaith folk world of traditional ghosts to newer and more frightening specters. These 'modern' Bengali ghosts, borne out of a new rationality, were homogeneous specters amenable to 'scientific' speculation and invoked at séance sessions in elite drawing rooms. Reading literature alongside the colonial archive, Bhattacharya uncovers a new reordering of science and faith from the middle of the nineteenth century. She argues that these shifts cemented the authority of a rising upper-cas

Ghostly Past Capitalist Presence

    Product form

    A Paperback by Tithi Bhattacharya

    £18.89

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £20.99 – you save £2.10 (10%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Tue 8 Sep 2026.

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Ghostly Past Capitalist Presence by Tithi Bhattacharya

      Book details

      Publisher Duke University Press
      Published 8/23/2024
      ISBN-13 9781478030713
      978-1478030713
      ISBN-10 1478030712
      Also in:
      History Colonialism and imperialism

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      In Ghostly Past, Capitalist Presence, Tithi Bhattacharya maps the role that Bengali ghosts and ghost stories played in constituting the modern Indian nation, and the religious ideas seeded therein, as it emerged in dialogue with European science. Bhattacharya introduces readers to the multifarious habits and personalities of Bengal’s traditional ghosts and investigates and mourns their eventual extermination. For Bhattacharya, British colonization marked a transition from the older, multifaith folk world of traditional ghosts to newer and more frightening specters. These 'modern' Bengali ghosts, borne out of a new rationality, were homogeneous specters amenable to 'scientific' speculation and invoked at séance sessions in elite drawing rooms. Reading literature alongside the colonial archive, Bhattacharya uncovers a new reordering of science and faith from the middle of the nineteenth century. She argues that these shifts cemented the authority of a rising upper-cas

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account