'Utilizing postcolonial theory to understand the importance of India to France, intellectually and politically, is something that Marsh does particularly well, and her focus on the intersections between history and fiction will appeal to historians and other social scientists typically unconvinced by the importance of the imagination to historical subjects.' H-Net 'Marsh offers a straightforward, well-constructed narrative that makes two important contributions to the study of empire in general and French imperialism in particular - the first on French India itself, the second on intellectual colonialism in general.' Canadian Journal of History

• Introduction; Chapter 1 The French Presence in India Between 1754 and 1815: from the ‘Beaux Jours Du Gouvernement De Dupleix’ to Annihilation?; Chapter 2 Constructing India as Other : Fiction, Travelogues and Ambassadors; Chapter 3 Emasculating India: The Indienne, Feminization and Female Writers; Chapter 4 Mythical India; Chapter 5 Historical India: Narratives of the Past; Chapter 6 The Philosophes, ‘Anticolonialism’ and the Rule of the British East India Company; Chapter 7 Conclusion;