description: In a penetrating account of the evolution of British intelligence gathering in India, C. A. Bayly shows how networks of Indian spies, runners and political secretaries were recruited by the British to secure information about their subjects. He also examines the social and intellectual origins of these informants, and considers how the colonial authorities interpreted and often misinterpreted the information they supplied. As Professor Bayly demonstrates, it was such misunderstandings which ultimately contributed to the failure of the British to anticipate the mutinies of 1857. He argues, however, that, even before this, India's complex systems of communication were challenging the political and intellectual dominance of the European rulers.
title: Empire and Information: Intelligence Gathering and Social Communication in India, 1780-1870
titlecomplete: Empire and Information: Intelligence Gathering and Social Communication in India, 1780-1870
genres: History, India, 19th Century, 18th Century, Academic, Politics
ratings_count: 48
series: Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society
publisher: Foundation Books