Empire and Ecology in the Bengal Delta: The Making of Calcutta (Studies in Environment and History)

What happens when a distant colonial power tries to tame an unfamiliar terrain in the world's largest tidal delta? This history of dramatic ecological changes in the Bengal Delta from 1760 to 1920 involves land, water and humans, tracing the stories and struggles that link them together. Pushing beyond narratives of environmental decline, Bhattacharyya argues that "property-thinking," a governing tool critical in making land and water discrete categories of bureaucratic and legal management, was at the heart of colonial urbanization and the technologies behind the draining of Calcutta. The story of ecological change is narrated alongside emergent practices of land speculation and transformation in colonial law. Bhattacharyya demonstrates how this history continues to shape our built environments with devastating consequences, as shown in the Bay of Bengal's receding coastline publisher's description La page de présentation indique : "What happens when a distant colonial power tries to tame an unfamiliar terrain in the world's largest tidal delta? This history of dramatic ecological changes in the Bengal Delta from 1760 to 1920 involves land, water and humans, tracing the stories and struggles that link them together. Pushing beyond narratives of environmental decline, Bhattacharyya argues that'property-thinking', a governing tool critical in making land and water discrete categories of bureaucratic and legal management, was at the heart of colonial urbanization and the technologies behind the draining of Calcutta. The story of ecological change is narrated alongside emergent practices of land speculation and transformation in colonial law. Bhattacharyya demonstrates how this history continues to shape our built environments with devastating consequences, as shown in the Bay of Bengal's receding coastline." History Of Dramatic Ecological Changes In The Bengal Delta From 1760 To 1920 Involves Land, Water And Humans, Tracing The Stories And Struggles That Link Them Together-- Almanac Of A Tidal Basin -- Environmental Consolidations -- Power And Silt -- Drying A Delta -- Legal Maneuvers -- Notarizing Possessions -- Commerce In Land -- Un-real Estate -- Speculative Properties -- Disappearing Coastlines. Debjani Bhattacharyya. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. What happens when a distant colonial power tries to tame an unfamiliar terrain in the world's largest tidal delta? This history, which spans from 1760 to 1920, demonstrates how colonial property law and hydraulic engineering transformed the ecology of the Bengal delta to drain Calcutta. Explores How The British Empire Responded To The Environmental Challenges Of The World's Largest Tidal Delta.