Children of Colonialism

Anglo-Indians in a Postcolonial World

By: Lionel Caplan

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Paperback | 1 April 2003 | Edition Number 1

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274 Pages

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21.6 x 13.8 x 1.47

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Among the legacies of the colonial encounter are any number of contemporary ‘mixed-race’ populations, descendants of the offspring of sexual unions involving European men (colonial officials, traders, etc.) and local women. These groups invite serious scholarly attention because they not only challenge notions of a rigid divide between colonizer and colonized, but beg a host of questions about continuities and transformations in the postcolonial world.

This book concerns one such group, the Eurasians of India, or Anglo-Indians as they came to be designated. Caplan presents an historicized ethnography of their contemporary lives as these relate both to the colonial past and to conditions in the present. In particular, he forcefully shows that features which theorists associate with the postcolonial present — blurred boundaries, multiple identities, creolized cultures — have been part of the colonial past as well. Presenting a powerful argument against theoretically essentialized notions of culture, hybridity and postcoloniality, this book is a much-needed contribution to recent debates in cultural studies, literary theory, anthropology, sociology as well as historical studies of colonialism, ‘mixed-race’ populations and cosmopolitan identities.

Industry Reviews

'Lionel Caplan has produced a splendid study, on a significant subject long overdue. What makes the work more useful is its solid base of fresh empirical data, together with its critical and sophisticated treatment of conceptual and theoretical issues. I commend this book to scholars and general readers alike.' Robert Eric Frykenberg, University of Wisconsin at Madison 'An impressive and empathetic analysis of the Anglo-Indian community in India today, which is recommended not only for scholars, but for general readers interested in ethnicity and sociology.' Chowkidar 'An excellent analysis of how the boundaries between Europeans, Anglo-Indians and Indians were guarded ... This book should appeal to South Asian specialists and post-colonial theorists.' Times Higher Education Supplement 'Timely and broad in perspective.' The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

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