The origins of the British Empire in Asia, 1600-1750 /

The origins of British imperialism in Asia remain highly debated among scholars. Veevers (Queen Mary Univ. of London, UK) asserts that during the English East India Company's first 150 years (1600--c.1750) its British employees in Madras (now Chennai) and Bengal advanced their personal fortunes through "immersion" (p. 54) into existing powerful political, economic, and social networks within the Mughal Empire's "carapace." In particular, leading British men took wives from well-connected families of mixed Portuguese-Indian origin. By contrast, Veevers shows how weak indigenous political institutions in Sumatra led to British failure there, though his argument does not incorporate the contemporary British presence in Surat or Bombay (now Mumbai). Throughout, he critiques other scholars who argue that British imperialism emerged from British national interests and naval, commercial, and/or capitalist power. The author uses these British employees' reports, sent to their employers back in London, almost exclusively as his primary sources, which he claims contain "often undistorted detail" (p. 22) about local events. Although Veevers does not mention such key issues as race, gender, sub-imperialism, or indirect rule/empire, his detailed narrative of these British men's perceptions enriches ongoing scholarly debates. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and faculty. --Michael H. Fisher, emeritus, Oberlin College