Welsh Missionaries and British Imperialism - (Studies in Imperialism) by Andrew May (Paperback)

About the Book

This book follows Thomas Jones, the first Welsh missionary from rural Wales to Cherrapunji, now one of the most Christianised parts of India. It foregrounds broader political, scientific, racial and military ideologies that mobilised the Khasi Hills into an interconnected network of imperial control.

Book Synopsis

This book follows Thomas Jones, the first Welsh missionary from rural Wales to Cherrapunji, now one of the most Christianised parts of India. It foregrounds broader political, scientific, racial and military ideologies that mobilised the Khasi Hills into an interconnected network of imperial control.

From the Back Cover

In 1841, the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Foreign Missionary Society sent its first missionary to evangelise amongst the tribal peoples of the Khasi Hills of north-east India. As a history of the Welsh as agents of imperialism, this book follows Thomas Jones from rural Wales to Cherrapunji, the wettest place on earth and now one of the most Christianised parts of India. As colonised colonisers, the Welsh were to have a profound impact on the language, culture and beliefs of the Khasi people. As well as being a study of the early decades of missionary intervention, this book also foregrounds broader political, scientific, racial and military ideologies that mobilised the Khasi Hills into an interconnected network of imperial control.

In exploring the localised actions and relationships of controversial missionary Thomas Jones and his fellow workers, the book also provides alternative and surprising readings of the role of the individual in defining the limits of freedom and the rule of law on an imperial frontier. The themes of this meticulously researched history are universal: crises of authority, the loneliness of geographical isolation, sexual scandal and rivalry, greed and exploitation, personal and institutional dogma, and individual and group morality. This book makes a significant contribution in orienting the scholarship of imperialism to a much-neglected corner of India, and will appeal to students of the British imperial experience more broadly. In its focus on the everyday experiences of individuals at the margins, it is moreover a virtuoso performance of microhistorical method.

Review Quotes

[...] This book is thus an important part of the history of both missions and empire. It is very carefully put together, with complexity and nuance--as well as a beautiful writing style that made it a pleasure to read., Emily Manktelow, Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History, Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History, 2013

'Andrew J. May's Welsh missionaries and British imperialism succeeds in terms of originality of topic, excellent methodology, readability of text, and richness of sources. Researchers and university students of every level will be able to use this monograph to develop a thorough idea of missionary history and colonial experience. Furthermore, his microhistory is both captivating and illuminating, engaging with broader imperial ideas of race, religion, and space. May's work deepens our understanding of British colonial experience in 19th-century northeast India.'
Professor Andrew J. Avery, Reviews in History, July 2016

About the Author

Andrew J. May is Professor of History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne