South Asians and the Shaping of Britain, 1870-1950

It is the first anthology of primary sources devoted to the interdisciplinary study of the history of the South Asian presence in Britain over the period, and students and scholars alike will appreciate its focus on four thematic chapters around South Asian contributions towards minority rights, war, culture and reception and representation in imperial Britain and its wide range of official and non-official archival sources. The material presented testifies not only to the enormous range and vitality of South Asian engagement and impact, but also provides new ways of understanding and interpreting these contributions by enabling readers to access the period for themselves, via these documents and images. Four introductory essays frame the sources in each chapter, and the book includes a preface by Elleke Boehmer and Susheila Nasta, a detailed introduction by Ruvani Ranasinha, and an afterword by pioneering historian Rozina Visram.

This sourcebook is designed for postgraduate courses primarily in British imperial and South Asian history, but also in art history, postcolonial studies, twentieth century literature and theory, South Asian studies, cultural studies and war studies.