Passages through India
Passages through India
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Passages through India by Somak Biswas
Analyses the phenomenon of western Indophilia, its ideological and affective composition, and its political implications in late-colonial British India. Argues that Indophile deployments around transnational projects like abolishing indentured labour and global Hinduism, while anti-colonial, were not necessarily emancipatory.
'Biswas explores both the social geographies and the cultural practices of radical devotees in pursuit of earthly transcendence and revolutionary politics, producing a lively account of utopian communities stitched together by spiritual desire and preserved in a rich and vivid archive of letters that testify to the power of affective politics in the making of global history' Antoinette Burton, University of Illinois
'An elegant account of the mutual but also rival desires that constituted the now classic relationship between Indian sages and their Western followers starting early in the last century. The combination of counter-cultural transgression and conservatism that Biswas describes in such relations makes for a highly original argument.' Faisal Devji, University of Oxford
'Weaving together modern guru–disciple relationships and the journeys of Western figures in pursuit of Indian gurus, this significant work explores a strikingly unusual theme. Each relationship is situated against a broad historical backdrop of contemporary politics and faith, of gender and emotions, in Britain and America as well as in India.' Tanika Sarkar, Jawaharlal Nehru University
'Puts flesh on the bones of the familiar trope of the Indian guru and the Western disciple. It is a useful reminder of the important work of 'white solidarity' in reshaping the global image of India for an anti-colonial project. At the same time, it is clear-eyed about the exclusionary effects of relying on Hindu high culture and a politics of respectability.' Mrinalini Sinha, University of Michigan
'An elegant account of the mutual but also rival desires that constituted the now classic relationship between Indian sages and their Western followers starting early in the last century. The combination of counter-cultural transgression and conservatism that Biswas describes in such relations makes for a highly original argument.' Faisal Devji, University of Oxford
'Weaving together modern guru–disciple relationships and the journeys of Western figures in pursuit of Indian gurus, this significant work explores a strikingly unusual theme. Each relationship is situated against a broad historical backdrop of contemporary politics and faith, of gender and emotions, in Britain and America as well as in India.' Tanika Sarkar, Jawaharlal Nehru University
'Puts flesh on the bones of the familiar trope of the Indian guru and the Western disciple. It is a useful reminder of the important work of 'white solidarity' in reshaping the global image of India for an anti-colonial project. At the same time, it is clear-eyed about the exclusionary effects of relying on Hindu high culture and a politics of respectability.' Mrinalini Sinha, University of Michigan
Somak Biswas is Junior Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, London. He works on the intersections of South Asia, Britain, imperial and global history. He is also a member of the Global History and Culture Centre, University of Warwick.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781009337984 |
| ISBN 10 | 100933798X |
| Title | Passages through India |
| Author | Somak Biswas |
| Series | Global South Asians |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 2023-09-21 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |