The import(ance) of history and modernity : home, parish, and imperial order in the photographic representation of Simla 1860-1920
The research sits in a gap between historical geography, colonial history, local micro-history and art history but also draws on wider fields such as museology, anthropology and cultural theory. It offers new perspectives onto the historiography of the photographic representation of British India whilst probing the benefits and limitations of using photography as a historical source. In particular it highlights how technological restrictions impacted on what was represented. Specifically it provides the first examination of the photographic representation of Simla, the summer capital of the British Raj, as a site. Moreover, it offers the first real interrogation of another overlooked subject; namely, the photographic representation of the physical, social and psychological structures that the colonial society created in order for it to function effectively. What has been termed the âFurniture of the British Rajâ. It reveals the importance of the notion of home for the colonial society at Simla, the significance of establishing a British history and aura for the town and the nature of photographyâs role in propagating such conceptions. In doing so it promotes an understanding of the reasons behind the
Whitehall, G.
The import(ance) of history and modernity : home, parish, and imperial order in the photographic representation of Simla 1860-1920. The research sits in a gap between historical geography, colonial history, local micro-history and art history but also draws on wider fields such as museology, anthropology and cultural theory. It offers new perspectives onto the historiography of the photographic representation of British India whilst probing the benefits and limitations of using photography as a historical source. In particular it highlights how technological restrictions impacted on what was represented. Specifically it provides the first examination of the photographic representation of Simla, the summer capital of the British Raj, as a site. Moreover, it offers the first real interrogation of another overlooked subject; namely, the photographic representation of the physical, social and psychological structures that the colonial society created in order for it to function effectively. What has been termed the âFurniture of the British Rajâ. It reveals the importance of the notion of home for the colonial society at Simla, the significance of establishing a British history and aura for the town and the nature of photographyâs role in propagating such conceptions. In doing so it promotes an understanding of the reasons behind the
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