Description

Named 'Top 6' South Asia studies publications of 2016 by the British Association for South Asian Studies

The 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, as well as forms of knowledge like inoculation. Showing how East India Company employees deployed the paradigm of alchemy in order to make sense of the new worlds they confronted, Rajani Sudan argues that the Enlightenment was born largely out of Europe’s (and Britain’s) sense of insecurity and inferiority in the early modern world. Plumbing the depths of the imperial archive, Sudan uncovers the history of the British Enlightenment in the literary artifacts of the long eighteenth century, from the correspondence of the East India Company and the papers of the Royal Society to the poetry of Alexander Pope and the novels of Jane Austen.

The Alchemy of Empire: Abject Materials and the Technologies of Colonialism

Product form

£23.99

Includes FREE delivery
Usually despatched within 5 days
Paperback / softback by Rajani Sudan

1 in stock

Short Description:

Named 'Top 6' South Asia studies publications of 2016 by the British Association for South Asian Studies The Alchemy of... Read more

    Publisher: Fordham University Press
    Publication Date: 01/06/2016
    ISBN13: 9780823270682, 978-0823270682
    ISBN10: 0823270688

    Number of Pages: 232

    Non Fiction , ELT & Literary Studies , Education

    Description

    Named 'Top 6' South Asia studies publications of 2016 by the British Association for South Asian Studies

    The 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, as well as forms of knowledge like inoculation. Showing how East India Company employees deployed the paradigm of alchemy in order to make sense of the new worlds they confronted, Rajani Sudan argues that the Enlightenment was born largely out of Europe’s (and Britain’s) sense of insecurity and inferiority in the early modern world. Plumbing the depths of the imperial archive, Sudan uncovers the history of the British Enlightenment in the literary artifacts of the long eighteenth century, from the correspondence of the East India Company and the papers of the Royal Society to the poetry of Alexander Pope and the novels of Jane Austen.

    Customer Reviews

    Be the first to write a review
    0%
    (0)
    0%
    (0)
    0%
    (0)
    0%
    (0)
    0%
    (0)

    Recently viewed products

    © 2025 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