A Colonial Affair

Danna Agmon

Open Access Published by Cornell University Press 2017

A Colonial Affair

Commerce, Conversion, and Scandal in French India

Danna Agmon
Funded by: Virginia Tech as part of the TOME initiative

https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501713071

Overview
Contents

About this book

A Colonial Affair traces the 1716 conviction of Nayiniyappa, a Tamil commercial agent employed by the French East India Company, for tyranny and sedition, and his subsequent public torture, the loss of his wealth, the exile of his family, and his ultimate exoneration. Danna Agmon’s gripping microhistory is a vivid guide to the "Nayiniyappa Affair" in the French colony of Pondicherry, India. The surprising and shifting fates of Nayiniyappa and his family form the basis of this story of global mobilization, which is replete with merchants, missionaries, local brokers, government administrators, and even the French royal family.

Agmon’s compelling account draws readers into the social, economic, religious, and political interactions that defined the European colonial experience in India and elsewhere. Her portrayal of imperial sovereignty in France’s colonies as it played out in the life of one beleaguered family allows readers to witness interactions between colonial officials and locals. Students and scholars of the history of colonialism, religion, capitalism, and law will find Agmon’s narrative of European imperialism of great interest.

Author information

AgmonDanna:

Danna Agmon is Assistant Professor of History and ASPECT at Virginia Tech.

Reviews

Richard B. Allen, author of European Slave Trading in the Indian Ocean, 1500–1850:

"A Colonial Affair is a compelling illustration of the ways in which insights from other disciplines, in this case anthropology, can deepen our understanding of the nature and dynamics of the social, economic, political, and other interactions that were an integral component of the colonial experience in India and elsewhere."

David Washbrook, Fellow, Trinity College, Cambridge University:

"Danna Agmon's dazzling study of French India at the turn of the eighteenth century highlights facets of the encounter between Europe and India that we have often missed. It suggests the possibilities of a different kind of colonialism to that which eventuated under the English. It also tells a rattling good yarn."

Catherine Desbarats, McGill University:

"A Colonial Affair is highly readable and just the perfect length for a course book. It will generate fruitful discussions not just of substance, such as the respective natures of colonies and empires, but also of method. We can learn a great deal by parsing a single ‘scandal’ from a variety of angles."

Sue Peabody, author of "There Are No Slaves in France", Meyer Distinguished Professor, Washington State University:

"This smart, nuanced, and well-researched investigation reveals the role of powerful Tamil brokers within the fractious commercial and spiritual enterprise of French India. Danna Agmon foregrounds the role of indigenous brokers in French attempts to establish their Indian Ocean trading base. A lively microhistory founded in legal records, A Colonial Affair animates and analyzes the larger problem of imperial authority in an intricate and often overlooked corner of empire. An informative and engaging read!"

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Illustrations Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
The Actors Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
Introduction Open Access Download PDF	1
Part One: The World of the Affair
Chapter 1. The Elusive Origins of a Colonial Scandal Open Access Download PDF	21
Chapter 2. Kinship as Politics Open Access Download PDF	48
Part Two: The Unfolding of the Affair
Chapter 3. The Denial of Language Open Access Download PDF	73
Chapter 4. Conflict at Court Open Access Download PDF	93
Part Three: The Afterlives of the Affair
Chapter 5. Between Paris and Pondichéry Open Access Download PDF	123
Chapter 6. Archiving the Affair Open Access Download PDF	143
Epilogue Open Access Download PDF	163
Notes Open Access Download PDF	171
Index Open Access Download PDF	213

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 240
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 1
- Images: 5
- Other: 5 b&w halftones, 1 map
Keywords: Pondicherry; colonialism; trade; missionaries; intermediaries; The Nayiniyappa Affair

eBook

Published: September 15, 2017
ISBN: 9781501713071