9781910376119
The Prisoner of Kathmandu is the story of Brian Hodgson, Britain’s “father of Himalayan studies.” Born in 1801, Hodgson joined the Bengal Civil Service as a privileged but sickly young man. Posted to Kathmandu as a junior political officer, he initially felt isolated and trapped as he struggled to keep peace between the fiercely independent mountain kingdom and the British East India Company. Ultimately, his efforts were rewarded with an enduring friendship between Nepal and the United Kingdom.
More than a biography of Hodgson and a study of political relations between countries, this book is also an in-depth look at the western Orientalist movement driven by the European Enlightenment. Hodgson, who studied Tibetan and Nepalese Buddhism, soon took interest in Nepal’s biodiversity and the region’s peoples and geography. He was also a key player in the struggle between those hoping to reshape India along British lines and those working to preserve local culture. Though overlooked in his own lifetime, Hodgson was later recognized as a major figure in Asian studies, a leader whose achievements have contributed to anthropology, ethnology, and natural history.
The extraordinary story of an extraordinary man, The Prisoner of Kathmandu sets the record straight while illuminating the history of Asian studies in the West.
More than a biography of Hodgson and a study of political relations between countries, this book is also an in-depth look at the western Orientalist movement driven by the European Enlightenment. Hodgson, who studied Tibetan and Nepalese Buddhism, soon took interest in Nepal’s biodiversity and the region’s peoples and geography. He was also a key player in the struggle between those hoping to reshape India along British lines and those working to preserve local culture. Though overlooked in his own lifetime, Hodgson was later recognized as a major figure in Asian studies, a leader whose achievements have contributed to anthropology, ethnology, and natural history.
The extraordinary story of an extraordinary man, The Prisoner of Kathmandu sets the record straight while illuminating the history of Asian studies in the West.
Reviews
Table of Contents
Foreword: The Prisoner
1. ‘Perpetual peace and friendship’: Makwanpur, 4 March 1816
2. ‘Qualified to discharge the duties of the public service’: Haileybury, Fort William College and Kumaon, 1816-20
3. ‘Spying on the nakedness of the land’: Assistant to the Resident, Kathmandu, 1820-25
4. ‘The strenuous idleness of woodcock shooting’: Postmaster and Assistance to the Resident, Kathmandu, 1824-25
5. ‘My old Bauddha’: Assistant to the Resident, 1825-28
6. ‘Untutored eyes and ears, sedulously employed’: Acting Resident, 1828-31
7. ‘The truth is that there are saving times’: Assistant Resident again, 1831-33
8. ‘Reason over barbarism’: British Resident, 1833-1835
9. “Nepal has real and rational charms for me’: British Resident, 1835-40
10. ‘Events are working wonderfully in my favour’: British Resident, 1980-43
11. ‘T’ was a happy lot while it lasted, so that I could not feel its chains till I attempted to break them’: Pensioner, Europe, Darjeeling and England, 1843-1894
Colour Plate List
Notes
Acknowledgements
1. ‘Perpetual peace and friendship’: Makwanpur, 4 March 1816
2. ‘Qualified to discharge the duties of the public service’: Haileybury, Fort William College and Kumaon, 1816-20
3. ‘Spying on the nakedness of the land’: Assistant to the Resident, Kathmandu, 1820-25
4. ‘The strenuous idleness of woodcock shooting’: Postmaster and Assistance to the Resident, Kathmandu, 1824-25
5. ‘My old Bauddha’: Assistant to the Resident, 1825-28
6. ‘Untutored eyes and ears, sedulously employed’: Acting Resident, 1828-31
7. ‘The truth is that there are saving times’: Assistant Resident again, 1831-33
8. ‘Reason over barbarism’: British Resident, 1833-1835
9. “Nepal has real and rational charms for me’: British Resident, 1835-40
10. ‘Events are working wonderfully in my favour’: British Resident, 1980-43
11. ‘T’ was a happy lot while it lasted, so that I could not feel its chains till I attempted to break them’: Pensioner, Europe, Darjeeling and England, 1843-1894
Colour Plate List
Notes
Acknowledgements
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