Empire And Information: Intelligence Gathering And Social Communication In India, 1780-1870 (cambridge Studies In Indian History And Society)

In a penetrating account of the evolution of British intelligence gathering in India, C. A. Bayly shows how networks of Indian spies, runners and political secretaries were recruited by the British to secure information about their subjects. He also examines the social and intellectual origins of these informants, and considers how the colonial authorities interpreted and often misinterpreted the information they supplied. As Professor Bayly demonstrates, it was such misunderstandings which ultimately contributed to the failure of the British to anticipate the mutinies of 1857. He argues, however, that, even before this, India's complex systems of communication were challenging the political and intellectual dominance of the European rulers. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Contents List of maps Preface Glossary List of abbreviations Introduction The information order Colonial knowledge 1 Prologue: surveillance and communication in early modern Royal wisdom and intelligence: the tradition Moral suasion and Indo-Muslim government Social communication and political surveillance Information to knowledge: indigenous constructions of Indian society The 'dynastic security state' of the eighteenth century Literacy, training and social communication British knowledge and Indian society to c. 1790 Revenue management and the birth of orientalism The north Indian information order on the eve of conquest 2 Political intelligence and indigenous informants during the conquest of India, c. 1785-1815 Posts, carriers, runners and spies The British come to terms with the harkara Newswriters: the veracity of political information Munshis: mastering the mystique of writing The pedigree and intellectual history of elite informants Penetrating the covered palankin: Madras 1800-1 Gossip, and the politics of the women's quarters: Hyderabad, 1800-3 Eunuchs and newsletters: Lucknow, 1797-1802 3 Misinformation and failure on the fringes of empire Hunting the White Elephant: culture and information during the First Burma War, 1824-6 Rumours from the west: between Oxus and Jumna Knowledge, intelligence and hierarchy 4 Between human intelligence and colonial knowledge Orientalism in action. The emergence of the 'political mind' The growth and imperfections of revenue knowledge The army as institutionalised knowledge 'Ground-level imperialism' and local knowledge Knowledge gaps and information panics Conclusion 5 The Indian ecumene: an indigenous public sphere Ideologies and social critique Norms and contexts of debate Public doctrine and the ecumene Speech and critical aesthetic comment History, libraries and social memory Communications and political debate Elite and mass in cultural performance The limits of the ecumene 6 Useful knowledge and godly society, c. 1830-50 Indians and the Anglo-Indian public sphere, c. 1780-1830 Useful knowledge and the reformers, 1830-57 Subordinating and recasting Indian knowledge Useful knowledge and the new munshi Small books and treasuries of knowledge Publishing and the press in perspective Western knowledge and social conflict Conclusions 7 Colonial controversies: astronomers and physicians The shape of the Indian astral sciences British power and Indian science Practical orientalism and new knowledge communities A revolution in astral knowledge? Physic and society European doctors and Indian clients The Pharmacopoeia: a textual window between Europe and Asia Cholera, plague and their consequences Professionalisation and hubris Knowledge battles and social change Conclusion 8 Colonial controversies: language and land The pre-eminence and decline of Persian Hindustani/Urdu, the new imperial language Sanskrit and national culture The emergence of Hindi Indian 'geography': a social science Surveying and moral dominion Small books and small minds Conclusions 9 The information order, the Rebellion of 1857-9 and pacification Towards a security state? The post-Mutiny pacification Conclusions 10 Epilogue: information, surveillance and the public arena after the Rebellion The British surveillance of print Social communication and the expansion of the Indian press The rise of the public man Later 'colonial knowledge9: Little Indias The fate of indigenous knowledges and communicators Conclusion: 'Knowing the country' Bibliography Index 1. Prologue: Surveillance And Communication In Early Modern India -- 2. Political Intelligence And Indigenous Informants During The Conquest Of India, C. 1785-1815 -- 3. Misinformation And Failure On The Fringes Of Empire -- 4. Between Human Intelligence And Colonial Knowledge -- 5. Indian Ecumene: An Indigenous Public Sphere -- 6. Useful Knowledge And Godly Society, C. 1830-50 -- 7. Colonial Controversies: Astronomers And Physicians -- 8. Colonial Controversies: Language And Land -- 9. Information Order, The Rebellion Of 1857-9 And Pacification -- 10. Epilogue: Information, Surveillance And The Public Arena After The Rebellion -- Conclusion: 'knowing The Country'. C.a. Bayly. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 377-400) And Index. In a penetrating account of the evolution of British intelligence gathering in India, C. A. Bayly shows how networks of Indian spies were recruited by the British to secure military, political and social information about their subjects. He also examines the social and intellectual origins of these 'native informants', and considers how the colonial authorities interpreted and often misinterpreted the information they supplied. It was such misunderstandings which ultimately contributed to the failure of the British to anticipate the rebellions of 1857. The author argues, however, that even before this, complex systems of debate and communication were challenging the political and intellectual dominance of the European rulers. "The British conquered India within two generations, not only because of their military superiority, but also because they deployed a sophisticated intelligence system. In a penetrating account of the evolution of British intelligence gathering in India between the wars of annexation in 1793-1818 and the aftermath of the Mutiny-Rebellion of 1857, C.A. Bayley shows how networks of Indian running-spies and political secretaries were recruited by the British to secure military, political and social information about their subjects." Without good political and military intelligence the British could never have established their rule in India or consolidated the dominant international position of the United Kingdom.