Welsh Missionaries and British Imperialism

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

'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'This highly-engaging, well-researched and theoretically-interesting history of mission and empire in a historiographically neglected corner of the British Empire uses the stories of intriguing individuals to flesh out, as well as to question, standard received notions of the interplay between the religious and imperial incursions of the British into Asian societies...May has provided us with a richly detailed and highly-persuasive history, and a thoughtful interrogation of that history, of one phase in the expansion of British religion and empire. For this we are deeply in his debt.'Arun W. Jones, Emory University, Atlanta, 2015‘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

• General editor’s introductionPrologueIntroductionPart I Preparations1. Some kind of preacher2. Voyaging: two places at once3. Networks and precursorsPart II The flag on the mountain4. Drawing the frontier5. The tranquillity of the borders6. The richest collections7. Creatures of a day: Christian soldiersPart III The work on the Hills8. The banner of the cross9. Cultural transactions: the letter and the gift10. Intimacy and transgressionPart IV The borderlands of law and belief11. The pen and the sabre12. The refulgent cross and the heathen carnival13. The country is oursConclusionEpilogueBibliographyIndex