Archiving the British Raj: History of the Archival Policy of the Government of India, with Selected Documents, 1858-1947

Archiving the British Raj analyses the institutional history of modern archival policy in India. It tells us the history of the colonial archive itself through the debates and discussions about its nature, use, and functioning that took place first amongst British officials and scholars and, nearer independence, amongst Indian historians. This account counters an understanding of the archive as a mere repository of documents, and instead lays bare its complex relationship with the colonial state.