Perched among peaks that loom over heat-shimmering plains, hill
stations remain among the most curious monuments to the British
colonial presence in India. In this engaging and meticulously
researched study, Dane Kennedy explores the development and history
of the hill stations of the raj. He shows that these
cloud-enshrouded havens were sites of both refuge and surveillance
for British expatriates: sanctuaries from the harsh climate as well
as an alien culture; artificial environments where colonial rulers
could nurture, educate, and reproduce themselves; commanding
heights from which orders could be issued with an Olympian
authority. Kennedy charts the symbolic and sociopolitical functions
of the hill stations over the course of the nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, arguing that these highland communities became
much more significant to the British colonial government than mere
places for rest and play. Particularly after the revolt of 1857,
they became headquarters for colonial political and military
authorities. In addition, the hill stations provided employment to
countless Indians who worked as porters, merchants, government
clerks, domestics, and carpenters. The isolation of British
authorities at the hill stations reflected the paradoxical
character of the British raj itself, Kennedy argues. While
attempting to control its subjects, it remained aloof from Indian
society. Ironically, as more Indians were drawn to these mountain
areas for work, and later for vacation, the carefully guarded
boundaries between the British and their subjects eroded. Kennedy
argues that after the turn of the century, the hill stations were
increasingly incorporated into the landscape of Indian social and
cultural life. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived
program, which commemorates University of California Press's
mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them
voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893,
Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship
accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title
was originally published in 1996.
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