Princely India and the British

摘要

Recently, princely India, the 'other' India, has generated a lot of academic interest. While the current trend has been to focus on individual states, Dr Keen's book returns to the earlier format of assessing the princely states in their larger context. The main argument Keen makes in this book is that "... British ideological motives for westernisation and 'civilisation,' coupled with the need to curb costs and promote efficient government, resulted in a significant loss of princely power over the period" (p. ix). Thus, the Raj was no heyday for the princes as some have understood. The book also brings the 'durbar' and its politics, the Political officers, zenana (female quarters) and court officials, centre stage in the story of the states where usually only the prince and the paramount power (Britain) are given importance.