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Peace, Poverty and Betrayal: A New History of British India by Roderick Matthews

krishna.arora@harpercollins.co.in | 18 June 2021

‘This brave and intelligent book will satisfy neither empire loyalists nor today’s rabid nationalists, which is all the more reason to applaud its author and relish the clarity of his analysis.’ — John Keay, Literary Review

‘One of the best things about this book is that it sidesteps the usual binaries and looks at British India as it actually was, as complex and confused as today’s India, neither good nor bad but very, very messy. And, as usual, Matthews is a delight to read.’ — Pritish Nandy, former Rajha Sahba MP, poet, film-maker, journalist and former managing editor, Times of India, and editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India

‘A fresh, engaging and challenging perspective on British rule in India, Roderick Matthew’s lucidly written and well researched book will reset the debate on colonial rule and legacy in South Asia.’ — Dr Yaqoob Khan Bangash, Director, Centre for Governance and Policy, ITU Lahore, author of A Princely Affair: Accession and Integration of the Princely States of Pakistan; founder of ThinkFest Pakistan

***

‘Peace, Poverty and Betrayal provides a fresh, end-to-end narrative of British India that does not rely on older explanatory models like imperialism and nationalism, both of which tend to distort rather than illuminate what actually happened. Instead it seeks to understand events primarily in terms of self-interest, among both British and Indians. This approach allows the construction of a clearer and more accurate account of the relationships and attitudes that shaped the story and avoids judging its principal historical figures in anachronistic ways.’ – Roderick Matthews

***

About the book

How can we explain Britain’s long rule in India beyond the clichés of ‘imperial’ versus ‘nationalist’ interpretations? In this new history, Roderick Matthews tells a more nuanced story of ‘oblige and rule’, the foundation of common purpose between colonisers and powerful Indians.

Peace, Poverty and Betrayal argues that this was more a state of being than a system: British policy was never clear or consistent; the East India Company went from a manifestly incompetent ruler to, arguably, the world’s first liberal government; and among British and Indians alike there were both progressive and conservative attitudes to colonisation. Matthews skilfully illustrates that this very diversity and ambiguity of British–Indian relations also drove the social changes that led to the struggle for independence.

Skewering the simplistic binaries that often dominate the debate, Peace, Poverty and Betrayal is a fresh and elegant history of British India.

Hardback | Page Extent: 440 | ₹ 799

Pre-order: https://www.amazon.in/dp/9354227325/

 

About the author

A freelance writer specialising in Indian history and politics, Roderick Matthews studied history at Balliol College, Oxford. His great-grandfather tutored the young Nehru through his Harrow entrance exams. One of his great-grandmothers cared for Gandhi when he fell ill in London in 1914. His second book, Jinnah vs. Gandhi, was a bestseller in India. His latest is Chandra Shekhar: And the Six Months That Saved India.

Peace, Poverty and Betrayal
About the Book - Peace, Poverty and Betrayal

How can we explain Britain's long rule in India beyond the cliches of 'imperial' versus 'nationalist' interpretations? In this new history, Roderick Matthews tells a more nuanced story of 'oblige and rule', the foundation of common purpose between colonisers and…

About the Author - Roderick Matthews

Roderick Matthews is a writer and Indian historian. Born in 1956, he studied Modern History at Balliol College, Oxford, and has written articles and reviews for a number of British and Indian publications. His previous books include The Flaws in…

To read more, order your copy of Peace, Poverty and Betrayal, by Roderick Matthews today!

₹ 799.0000
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