Description
Book SynopsisThe Alchemy of Empire unravels the non-European origins of Enlightenment science. Focusing on the abject materials of empire-building, this study traces the genealogies of substances like mud, mortar, ice, and paper, and forms of knowledge like inoculation, arguing that East India Company employees deployed the paradigm of alchemy in order to make sense of the new worlds they confronted.
Trade Review"An intriguing book that brings together an array of literary and non-literary texts dealing with eighteenth-century British response to South Asian techne. Sudan is a significant voice in global eighteenth-century studies as well as a leading critic of Anglo-Indian Relations." -- -Robert Markley University of Illinois
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Mud, Mortar, and Empire 1. The Alchemy of Empire 2. Mortar and the Making of Madras 3. Ice and the Production of British Climate 4. Inoculation and the Limits of British Imperialism 5. "Plaisters," Paper, and the Labor of Letters Conclusion Notes Works Cited
