Concubinage, race and law in early Colonial Bengal : bequeathing intimacy, servicing the empire / Ruchika Sharma.

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2023.

©2023.

xvi, 192 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Based on author's thesis (doctoral - Jawaharlal Nehru University 2010) issued under title: Conjugality, concubinage and domesticity : native women and the British male in early colonial Bengal.

"This book analyses the domestic relations which British men came to establish with native Indian women in early colonial Bengal. It provides a fresh look into the history of imperial expansion and colonial encounters by studying the large number of wills left by British men who came in an official or economic capacity to India. It closely engages with these wills, considering them unique personal records. These documents, where the men penned down details of their native mistresses, give a glimpse of what their lives, interpersonal relationships, household objects, and everyday affairs were like. The volume highlights how commonplace such non-marital cohabitation was and constructs the social history of these connections. It looks at issues of theft, violence, rape, bequeathment, and property rights which the women had to contend with, and also studies some of the early experiences of the mixed-race children who were a product of these relationships. A unique look into the asymmetrical but fascinating history of interracial households in early colonial Bengal, this book will be of interest to students and researchers of history, women's studies, gender studies, colonial law, colonial travel writing, minority studies, colonialism, imperialism, and South Asian studies"-- Provided by publisher.

Online version: Sharma, Ruchika. Concubinage, race and law in early Colonial Bengal Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Taylor & Francis Group, 2023

English

February 09, 2023

Includes bibliographical references and index.

History.