Archives of Empire is predominantly a collection of various documents from the 19th century, from the 19th century, of sources, mostly collated in excerpt form, ranging widely across genres and subject materials. Thus, there are speeches, essays and letters of notable 19th century personae, government documents, the odd legislation, even chapters from novels and books from the era, are presented as excerpts of varying sizes. This review engages with the first of a four-volume set. First published in 2003, it has found its way to India, the dominant subject of its attention, fifteen years later.
The book is divided into 15 sections. It starts with a section intended to serve as a general overview of the period covered by the volume, entitled ‘Company to Canal 1757-1869’. From there we go to sections titled ‘Oriental Despotism’, onto the Impeachment of Warren Hastings, Tipu Sultan, Orientalism, the Uprising of 1857, and then abruptly to North Africa, with a focus on the Suez and its construction, culminating in the Arabi Uprising, and a closing chapter on ‘Pilgrims and Travellers’. Each section and at times some sources begins with a short introduction.
From the outset, it is easy to see that the book is unlikely to appeal to a wide audience though no doubt put together to paint certain pictures and ideas about the institutions of Company Rule and the British Empire in India and North Africa. It lacks a cohesive narrative or set of narratives that one can read through. For a few, such as new scholars in historical studies, particularly of the Modern Indian era, this can be an extremely valuable resource, combining a surprising array of resources in interesting groupings. Some of its sources are in fact relatively hard to track down, even today, long after this book was first published, and in the era of digitized archives and the mature internet. The book also provides an interesting mix of documents. Thus, we have an excerpt from Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, next to a section of Disraeli’s work, followed by a small snippet out of a period dictionary. To the researcher looking for inspiration and material to ponder, this can be an extremely helpful set of readings, widening his or her horizons onto what can constitute a source for research. It reminds the scholar that one need not only consider official sources and documents as a source of information on the past, nor does one need to be bound by the works and writings of politically or ideologically critical thinkers. Disraeli, Hegel and Marx therefore sit comfortably alongside sections of imperial legislation, novel chapters and a dictionary.