Journeys to Empire: Enlightenment, Imperialism, and the British Encounter with Tibet, 1774-1904

by Gordon T. Stewart

Overview

This fascinating study of two British missions to Tibet in 1774 and 1904 provides a unique perspective on the relationship between the Enlightenment and European colonialism. Gordon Stewart compares and contrasts the Enlightenment era mission led by George Bogle and the Edwardian mission of Francis Younghusband as they crossed the Himalayas into Tibet. Through the British agents' diaries, reports, and letters and by exploring their relationships with Indians, Bhutanese and Tibetans, Stewart is able to trace the shifting ideologies, economic interests and political agendas that lay behind British empire-building from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. This compelling account sheds new light on the changing nature of British imperialism, on power and intimacy in the encounter between East and West, and on the relationship of history and memory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521515023
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/04/2009
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Gordon T. Stewart is the Jack & Margaret Sweet Professor of History at Michigan State University. His previous publications include The Great Awakening in Nova Scotia 1760-1791 (1982), The Origins of Canadian Politics (1986) and Jute and Empire: The Calcutta Jute Wallahs and the Landscapes of Empire (1998).

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. An enlightenment narrative 1774; 2. Wives, concubines and 'Domestic Arrangements'; 3. Imperial eyes in 'the Golden Territories'; 4. Enter Younghusband; 5. From enlightenment to empire; 6. Tibet lessons.

Editorial Reviews

"...it is in Stewart's overall thesis of the nexus between Enlightenment and imperialism as exemplified by Bogle and Younghusband that we find the strength of this valuable and interesting book." -David Templeman, H-Buddhism

"...a very useful book as he helps the reader visit and revisit Tibet..." -Yash Nandan

"...engaging study..." -Charles W. J. Withers, Canadian Journal of History

"This carefully researched and well-written study provides a significant if small additional piece of the puzzle that is the history of the British-Tibetan relationship." -J. Jeffrey Franklin, Victorian Studies

From the Publisher