The lasting legacy of colonial cemeteries in South Asia / David A. Johnson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, David A., 1965- author.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia.

Cemeteries--South Asia--History.

Cemeteries.

Collective memory--South Asia.

Collective memory.

Great Britain--Colonies--Administration--Asia.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (286 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, [2025]

Summary:

This work examines how colonial cemeteries reflect the British Empire's history in the region. Nearly two million Europeans were buried in these sites which documented imperial expansion. After 1947, the declining upkeep led to the formation of BACSA to preserve these historical markers amid postcolonial changes.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Preface

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Last Islands of Empire

South Asia's Colonial Cemeteries

The Colonial-Built Environment at the Transfer of Power

Reclaiming the Colonial-Built Environment in a Postcolonial World: A Problem of Reinterpretation

1 Colonial Cemeteries at the End of Empire

Colonial Cemeteries During the Era of British Rule

Colonial Cemeteries at the Twilight of Empire, January-August 1947

Colonial Cemeteries at the Time of Independence, August 1947-January 1948

A Growing Public Outcry

2 A New Cemetery Strategy for a Postcolonial World

The British Graves Fund: A National Appeal to Save Colonial Cemeteries

Creating Local Cemetery Committees: Challenge and Promise

Working in the Dark: the Struggle to Obtain Cemetery Information

The Postcolonial Politics of the Cemetery Transfer, 1 April 1948

The Fate of Isolated Graves and Tombs

3 The High Commission's Cemetery Strategy Collapses

Organizational Failure: The Rise and Demise of Provincial Cemetery Boards

Financial Failures: Short- and Long-Term Revenue Streams

Short-Term Revenue Streams

Long-Term Revenue Streams

The Annual Christmas Card: The End of a High-Commission Tradition

3.1 Intermezzo: A Fateful Journey

4 Theon Wilkinson and the Founding of the British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia

Theon Wilkinson's Search for a Solution

Wilkinson's Failed Attempt to Find Government Funding and Government Help

Two Monsoons and the Rise of British Consciousness Concerning Colonial Cemeteries

The Founding of BACSA

5 Putting the Past On Hold

BACSA's Conversion and Preservation Projects

Success Brings Self-Examination

Recording and Publications

BACSA and the Preservation of Colonial Memory.

Conclusion: Colonial Cemeteries in a Connected World

Appendix 1: List of Cemeteries and Isolated Graves under the Jurisdiction of the British High Commissioner for India, 1974

Appendix 2: List of Abandoned Cemeteries and Isolated Graves,1974

Appendix 3: List of Privately Maintained Cemeteries withwhich the High Commissioner Was Not Concerned

Appendix 4: List of Churchyard Cemeteries Transferred toChurch Authorities

Appendix 5: Projects Completed by BACSA, 1979- 2002

Appendix 6: BACSA Membership Trends, 1977- 2010

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource and publisher information; title from PDF title page (viewed on May 19, 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-19-895972-9

0-19-895970-2

OCLC:

1520095715