Merchants of the Raj. British managing agency houses in Calcutta, yesterday and today
Details:
- Author(s) Jones, Stephanie
- Publication type Monograph
- Year published 1992
- Pages 434pp
- Publisher Macmillan
- Place Published Basingstoke
Topics:
- Name Geopolitical event, natural disaster, etc, impact on business inc end of empire, war, disease, catastrophe, etc, exc industrial conflict
- Name Oral history
Countries:
- India
Library:
- Name British Library
- City London
- County Greater London
- Country England
- Postcode NW1 2DB
- Visit British Library's website
Groups:
Notes:
Deals with British agency houses at Calcutta, largely in the post 1939-45 period, and based on interviews with c70 individuals, or the successors of individuals, who worked in agency houses. The volume has sections: 'Historical background, c1840-1939'; 'War and nationalisation, 1939-47'; 'Independence and partition, 1947-49'; 'Reorganisation and adaption, c1950s'; 'Beginnings of Indianisation, c1960-76'; 'Formal Indianisation and after, 1976-91'. The texts of these sections are woven around interview extracts and thereby provide an account of the experience of British expatriate business in the end of empire period. The agency house are: Gillanders Arbuthnot; Jardine Henderson; Mackinnon Mackenzie and P&O Group; Andrew Yule; Turner Morrison; Macneill & Barry and Assam Co; James Finlay; Bird & Co; Shaw Wallace; Macleod; Balmer Lawrie; James Warren and Warren Tea; Octavius Steel; Duncan and Goodricke; Williamson Magnor. Also included are bankers, solicitors, accountants, tea brokers. An appendix provides short biographical profiles of the interviewees