The Calcutta Kerani and the London Clerk in the Nineteenth Century: Life, Labour, Latitude

This book examines the location and representation of the colonial clerk or the kerani within the cultural and social space of nineteenth century colonial India. It provides a comparative history of the clerk in Calcutta vis-à-vis the clerk in contemporary London in order to understand the manifestations of modernity in the two spaces.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 182 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the intricate relationship between the colonial clerk or the "kerani" and the cultural and social landscape of nineteenth-century colonial India. It offers a comparative analysis of the clerks in Calcutta and contemporary London, shedding light on the manifestations of modernity in these two distinct yet interconnected spaces. The volume traces the socio-historical journey of the clerks in the newly established city-space of Calcutta, unveiling how the Bengali "kerani" evolved into a complex and distinctive representation of bureaucratic and colonial modernity. Through meticulous analysis, it explores the techniques of surveillance and ethical training imparted to the native clerks, providing valuable insights into the role of education in the production and dissemination of knowledge and the establishment of hegemony within the colonial context.

The author employs a multidisciplinary approach, drawing from clerk manuals, handbooks, and literary representations, to highlight the class and cultural identity of the English-educated colonial clerks in the new urban environment. He also delves into the complexities of the clerk or colonial "babu," who, while complicit in the empire's workings, embodied a nuanced modernity within the intricate networks of the colonial administration.

This book holds immense appeal to students and scholars engaged in the fields of colonial and imperial history, literature, cultural studies, city studies, British studies, area studies, Commonwealth studies, and South Asian studies. In particular, those with an interest in colonial Bengal will find this work to be a valuable resource for their research endeavors.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367556631