Imperial Bodies

Book excerpt: By the twentieth century, the British official had been transformed into an upright, decent representative of British virtues whose task was to bring civilization to India." "Through an in-depth discussion of texts and practices, the body is introduced into the history of the Raj as an active social principle: a force in the construction of social inequalities along lines of race and class. Drawing on a wide range of sources including government records, newspapers, private letters, medical handbook and cookery books, E. M. Collingham paints a vivid picture of the life and manners of the British in India." "This contribution to both British and imperial history will be of practical interest to students and scholars of cultural and colonial history."--BOOK JACKET.