Hooghly : the global history of a river / R. Ivermee.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ivermee, Robert, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hugli River (India)--History.

Hugli River (India).

Hugli River (India)--Economic conditions.

India--Foreign relations--1984-.

India.

International relations.

India--Hugli River.

Diplomatic relations.

Economic history.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

vii, 262 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

London : C. Hurst & Co. (Publishers), 2020.

Summary:

The Hooghly, a distributary of the Ganges flowing south to the Bay of Bengal, is now little known outside of India. Yet for centuries it was a river of truly global significance, attracting merchants, missionaries, mercenaries, statesmen, laborers and others from Europe, Asia and beyond. Hooghly seeks to restore the waterway to the heart of global history. Focusing in turn on the role of and competition between those who struggled to control the river--the Portuguese, the Mughals, the Dutch, the French and finally the British, who built their imperial capital, Calcutta, on its banks--the author considers how the Hooghly was integrated into global networks of encounter and exchange, and the dramatic consequences that ensued. Traveling up and down the river, Robert Ivermee explores themes of enduring concern, among them the dynamics of modern capitalism and the power of large corporations; migration and human trafficking; the role of new technologies in revolutionizing social relations; and the human impact on the natural world. The Hooghly's global history, he concludes, may offer lessons for India as it emerges as a world superpower.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Hooghly: The Rise and Fall of the Portuguese

2. Murshidabad: The Kingdom of the Nawabs of Bengal

3. Plassey:The English East India Company's Ascent

4. Chandernagore: The French Revolution in Bengal

5. Serampore: Baptist Missionaries and the Power of Print

6. Calcutta: The Unfinished Conquest of Nature

7. Sagar Island: The Hooghly's Global Future.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1787383253

9781787383258

OCLC:

1121141624

Publisher Number:

99985692647