Overview

Beyond the Metros: Anglo-Indians in India's Smaller Towns and Cities focuses on Anglo-Indians residing in a number of small towns and cities, away from the metropolitan centres of modern India, such as Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. It provides a socio-historical account of what it means to be an Anglo-Indian in cultural and materially varied environments, highlighting the impact on the formation of identities. The towns and cities can be grouped into three categories: railway towns such as Kharagpur, Asansol, Jhansi, Jabalpur and Secunderabad; the hill stations of Ranchi and Dehradun; and the port cities of Cochin, Pondicherry and Goa. Some of these towns were closely associated with traditional occupations for Anglo-Indians, although in recent years the structures of their economies have changed, differentially affecting the lives of their resident Anglo-Indian communities. The researchers in this volume highlight the concept of diversity in the lived experiences, aspirations, memories and sense of identity within this community. They question the methodology of looking at minority communities as homogenized and ethnicized categories. The book demonstrates the importance of place as a crucial variable in the social histories of communities. In addition, it interrogates both the received scholarly wisdom as well as exoticized popular stereotypes by looking closely at Anglo-Indian lives and perceptions.

Full Product Details

9789390737666

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Robyn Andrews is a senior lecturer in Massey University's social anthropology programme. She has a long-standing interest in the area of Anglo-Indian studies, which has seen her involvement in projects both in India and the diaspora. Her publications include Christmas in Calcutta: Anglo-Indian Stories and Essays (2014) and she co-edits, with Brent Howitt Otto, the International Journal of Anglo-Indian Studies. Anjali Gera Roy is a professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. She has published nearly a hundred essays on literary, film and cultural studies. More recently, she has documented the oral histories of survivors of the 1947 Partition as well as those of Sikhs and Anglo-Indians. Her books include Memories and Postmemories of the Partition of India (2019); Cinema of Enchantment: Perso-Arabic Genealogies of the Hindi Masala Film (2015) and Bhangra Moves: From Ludhiana to London and Beyond (2010).

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available