Provincial Metropolis - Intellectuals and the Hinterland in Colonial India

This book tells the story of Patna, in the north Indian region of Bihar, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A century and more earlier, Patna had been an important and populous city, but it came to be seen by many-and is still seen today-as merely part of the mofussil, the provincial hinterland. Despite Patna's real decline, it continued to nurture a vibrant intellectual culture that linked it with cities and towns across northern India and beyond. Urdu literary gatherings and other Islamicate traditions inherited from Mughal times helped animate the networks sustaining institutions like scholarly libraries and satirical newspapers. Meanwhile, English-educated lawyers sought to bring new prominence to their city and region by making Patna the capital of a new province. They succeeded, but as Patna's political influence grew, its distinctive character was diminished. Ultimately, Provincial Metropolis shows, Patna's intellectual and cultural life thrived not despite its provinciality but because of it.

List of contents

List of maps; List of figures; List of abbreviations; Note on Translation and Transliteration; Acknowledgements; Introduction: Provinciality in Colonial India; 1. A Length Without Breadth; 2. As Though in a Shrine; 3. Collaborative Wit; 4. A Sturdy Loyal People; 5. Patna Capitalized; Epilogue; Glossary; Bibliography.

About the author

David Boyk is a scholar of Indian history and culture. He teaches courses on the Hindi-Urdu language and on South Asian history, literature, and film, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Northwestern University.

Product details

• Authors: David Boyk, David (Northwestern University) Boyk
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 04.09.2025
• EAN: 9781009510837
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0951083-7
• No. of pages: 240
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; 20th Century, India, Social groups, c 1800 to c 1900, Later 19th century c 1850 to c 1899, Early 20th century c 1900 to c 1950, Bihar, General studies, HISTORY / Asia / South / General, Social groups, communities and identities