Annexation and the Unhappy Valley

Annexation and the Unhappy Valley: The Historical Anthropology of Sindh’s Colonization addresses the nineteenth century expansion and consolidation of British colonial power in the Sindh region of South Asia. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach and employs a fine-grained, nuanced and situated reading of multiple agents and their actions. It explores how the political and administrative incorporation of territory (i.e., annexation) by East India Company informs the conversion of intra-cultural distinctions into socio-historical conflicts among the colonized and colonizers. The book focuses on colonial direct rule, rather than the more commonly studied indirect rule, of South Asia. It socio-culturally explores how agents, perspectives and intentions vary—both within and across regions—to impact the actions and structures of colonial governance.

'Annexation and the Unhappy Valley represents what can be achieved when anthropologists turn their critical inter-disciplinary eye on the past. [...] it contributes hugely to our collective grasp of a key turning-point in Sindh’s history, as well as offering historians additional theoretical models and approaches with which to enhance their own disciplinary methodologies.' Sarah Ansari (Royal Holloway, University of London), in: South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, Online since 10 March 2017. URL: http://samaj.revues.org/4287. 'Today, only a few scholars can match Cook’s depth of knowledge when it comes to this, often overlooked, research field and his monograph is a crucial step for us to understand Sindh’s past and present. Notwithstanding somewhat technical parts, the author’s effort to link the plane of colonial decision making in the 19th century with the particular circumstances of the individual actors involved renders the book an intriguing read. In the Appendix, Cook speaks about this methodological decision when he emphasizes the importance of the “situatedness” of his historical sources. His historical-anthropological methodology (visible in the book’s title) not only allows deep insights into the protagonists’ complex life-worlds but also yields a capturing read.' Jürgen Schaflechner (Heidelberg University), Itinerario, Vol. 42, No. 3 (2018), pp. 557-559, doi:10.1017/S0165115318000694

Matthew A. Cook, Ph.D (2007) in Sociocultural Anthropology, Columbia University, is Professor of South Asian and Postcolonial Studies at North Carolina Central University. His research focuses on the history and anthropology of South Asia, Sindh and colonialism. His previous publications include: Willoughby’s Minute: Treaty of Nownahar, Fraud and British Sindh (Oxford University Press, 2013), Observing Sindh: Selected Reports of Edward Paterson Del Hoste (Oxford University Press, 2008), and, with Michel Boivin, Interpreting the Sindhi World: Essays on Society and History (Oxford University Press, 2010).