Description
Book SynopsisWhen Siraj, the ruler of Bengal, overran the British settlement of Calcutta in 1756, he allegedly jailed 146 European prisoners overnight in a cramped prison. Of the group, 123 died of suffocation. This title follows the ever-changing representations of this historical event and founding myth of the British Empire in India.
Trade ReviewOne of HistoryToday's Books of the Year 2013, chosen by Chandak Sengoopta "[H]ighly insightful, at times quite brilliant."--David Washbrook, Times Literary Supplement "Chock-full of mini topics and discursive asides, and illustrated with a number of photographs and illustrations, this book is required reading for the genre."--Choice "The Black Hole of Empire is his most ambitious book yet. Challenging existing understandings, reinterpreting the meaning of well-known events, and displaying an authoritative knowledge of an astonishing range of scholarly literature, we encounter a historian at the top of his game."--Gyan Prakash, 3QuarksDaily "[S]timulating and original... In following a trail from history as once every British schoolboy learnt it, Chatterjee illuminates one of the pressing issues of international relations today."--William Crawley, BBC Northern Ireland "[T]he scope, depth, and reach of The Black Hole of Empire is an achievement that is difficult to match... The Black Hole of Empire is, in all its richness or argument and historical detail, a book that no anthropologist, historian, or political theorist of empire can afford to miss."--Peter Pels, Current Anthropology "[T]he book is so richly detailed and so thoughtfully argued that it can serve as the perfect introduction to the history of British India and, indeed, of imperialism itself."--Chandak Sengoopta, History Today
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ix Preface xi Chapter One: Outrage in Calcutta 1 Chapter Two: A Secret Veil 33 Chapter Three: Tipu's Tiger 67 Chapter Four: Liberty of the Subject 104 Chapter Five: Equality of Subjects 134 Chapter Six: For the Happiness of Mankind 159 Chapter Seven: The Pedagogy of Violence 185 Chapter Eight: The Pedagogy of Culture 222 Chapter Nine: Bombs, Sovereignty, and Football 264 Chapter Ten: The Death and Everlasting Life of Empire 311 Afterword Notes 347 References 387 Index 409
