Reporting the Raj: The British Press and India, c.1880–1922: 48 (Studies in Imperialism) - Softcover

Kaul, Chandrika

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0719061768 ISBN 13: 9780719061769

Publisher: Manchester University Press, 2003

Synopsis

This highly original and lively study represents the first analysis of the dynamics of British press reporting of India and the attempts made by the British Government to manipulate press coverage as part of a strategy of imperial control. The press was an important forum for debate over India's future and was used by groups within the political elite to advance their agendas. Yet it also provided the wider British public with the information and images from which they formed their perceptions of the subcontinent. The repercussions of press reporting were therefore considerable, being felt not only in Britain, but also within India and the wider world. For this reason British imperial administrators felt the need to integrate press management with their approach to government. Kaul focuses on a period of critical transition in the history of the Raj, a period which witnessed the impact of the First World War, major constitutional reform initiatives, the tragedy of the Amritsar massacre, and the launching of Gandhi's mass movement. The war was also a watershed in official media manipulation, the Government's previously informal and ad hoc attempts to shape press reporting were placed on a more formal basis and explicitly incorporated into official strategy. This book will be essential reading for students of the British Empire, Indian history and the British press. It also offers important insights for students of media and communications studies and the history of political communication - and indeed anyone concerned with understanding the ever-deepening relationship between politics and the mass media today.

About this title

About the Author

Chandrika Kaul is Lecturer in Modern History at the University of St Andrews

From the Back Cover

This book is the first analysis of the dynamics of British press reporting of India and the attempts made by the British Government to manipulate press coverage as part of a strategy of imperial control. The press was an important forum for debate over the future of India and was used by significant groups within the political elite to advance their agendas. Focuses on a period which represented a critical transitional phase in the history of the Raj, witnessing the impact of the First World War, major constitutional reform initiatives, the tragedy of the Amritsar massacre, and the launching of Gandhi's mass movement. Asserts that the War was a watershed in official media manipulation and in the aftermath of the conflict the Government's previously informal and ad hoc attempts to shape press reporting were placed on a more formal basis.

Edition details

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0719061768
• ISBN 13: 9780719061769
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320