Colonial Caregivers

‘A timely intervention in the growing scholarship on the politics and economics of care and the ethics of caregiving, Colonial Caregivers’ rigorous recovery of the ubiquitous but occluded figure of the ayah is an exemplary demonstration of the power of decolonial and feminist historical labor and writing.’ Sumathi Ramaswamy, Duke University‘The book is beautifully written, moving with confident elegance from narrative detail to analytical insight. The chapters uncover how colonialism was rooted in the intimate labor of brown women, provoking a critical rethinking of the foundation of elite power in a globalized capitalist political economy.’ Fae Dussart, University of Sussex‘Shikha Chakraborty skilfully weaves together a rich diversity of sources in this impressive history of the ayahs. Her lucid and nuanced analysis of the cultural representation and voices of ayahs will appeal to scholars of empire, gender, and postcolonialism, as well as anybody who is interested in the history of domestic workers. Focusing on ayahs in both British and Indian families, Chakraborty provides a refreshing perspective on Indian domestic service, and her original perspective offers an extraordinary range of insights.’ Victoria K. Haskins, University of Newcastle‘Colonial Caregivers is an exemplary exercise in subalternist historiography. With great scholarly rigor and imagination, it brings into view the history of the Indian ayahs who performed the most intimate care of the women and children in British colonial households. While capturing their experiences and perspectives, it shows that the domestic labor of these brown women was crucial not only for the reproduction of colonial families but also for the representation of imperial morality, respectability and racial purity. The book astutely advances our understanding of colonialism by placing the subaltern women’s domestic labor at the center of its history.’ Gyan Prakash, Princeton University

Satya Shikha Chakraborty is Assistant Professor of History at The College of New Jersey. She has published award-winning articles on the history of Indian ayahs in Britain and European governesses in Indian princely households.