The East India Company and the Politics of Knowledge

‘For its fresh approach, blending the histories of knowledge and political thought; for its persuasive argument, based on deep research in Persian and European-language sources; and for its lucid and elegant style, Ehrlich’s wonderful book will be required reading for historians of the East India Company, South Asia, and the British Empire.’ Rosane Rocher, University of Pennsylvania

‘In a work as ambitious as it is meticulous, Joshua Ehrlich reveals the British conquest of India to have been the work not only of the ‘merchant’ and the ‘sovereign’ but also of the scholar - as much the product of advancing armies and revenue officials as of the translators, historians, surveyors, libraries, learned societies, colleges, gardens, and many more that made the case for how and why to rule that expanding empire. This book offers a compelling account of how debates over scholarship and education shaped the East India Company state, as well as a thought-provoking reflection on the ways in which the power to create and command knowledge has been central to ideologies of global corporate power, from the eighteenth century to today’s ‘information economy.’’ Philip J. Stern, Duke University

‘… [A] powerful and persuasive argument…. [I]mportant and refreshingly innovative…. [A] thoughtful and considered contribution, founded on wide-ranging research into a wealth of archival material and combined with skilful and imaginative analysis…. [P]acks … [a] powerful contemporary punch…. Rarely do historians succeed in arguing so successfully for the relevance of their work in the maelstrom of the present day ….’ John McAleer, H-Soz-Kult

‘The transition of the East India Company from mercantile organization to full-blown colonial power has been the subject of much scholarly discourse, but as Ehrlich (Univ. of Macau) shows, there are still novel ways to approach the topic … This intellectual history elucidates not just the ideology of imperialism but corporate culture as a whole … Recommended.’ M. Chaiklin, Choice

‘[A]n important addition not only to the scholarship on South Asia but also to the literature on the relationship between state and knowledge.’ Sandipan Mitra, Global Intellectual History

‘A must-read for anyone looking for a scholarly but concise account of the colonial origins of education policy in India. It will also immensely help those researching the historical relationship between state and agencies bestowed with knowledge production by the state.’ Soni Wadhwa, Asian Review of Books