Book Review: Imperialism at Work: Crow’s Report and Dispatches on Sind Edited by Mubarik Ali

 

This edited book is Crow’s account which covers themes such as history, geography, climate, soil, flora, fauna, languages, attire, occupation, revenue, military forces and fortifications of Sind. At the end of the eighteen century the East India Company had established its political domination in India. It was assumed that Russia in alliance with Persia and Afghanistan would attempt to dismantle the Company’s power in India. Zaman Shah came to power in Afghanistan in 1793 which created anxiety among the Marathas ad the company. The rulers of Sind at that time were the Talpurs who recognized the over lordship of Afghanistan and paid tribute to the Afghan King.

The Mirs of Sind were not fully secure as they feared Miyan Abd al-Nabi, the ousted Kalhora ruler who might return with the support of Zaman Shah. Therefore, the Mirs wanted to have friendly relations with the British to get help in case of any Afghan aggression.

Duncan chose a Persian Merchant Agha Abul Hasan as an envoy and sent him to the court of Sind to assess the political situation and the attitude of the Mirs towards the British government. He was given two letters. The one for Mir Fateh Ali was to request the approval of opening the company to reopen a factory at Thatta and to allow an official mission to Sind to finalize the terms and conditions. The hidden agenda of the British of reopening of the factory had more political advantages than commercial advantages.

The first commercial-cum-political mission arrived in Sind under Nathan Crow, a civil servant of the Bombay government. He was advised to observe the movements of Zaman Shah and win over the friendship of the Mirs (p. 3). He landed for the first time in Karachi in May 1799.

Crow was ordered in October 1800 to close the factory at Thatta and leave Sind. Crow stayed in Sind for 17 months. During this time, he very closely observed and studied the social, political and economic condition of Sind. He repeatedly visited the court and assessed the traits of their character and attempted to lobby for the British. He employed a number of agents through whom he gathered information regarding the country. Crow’s correspondence with Duncan shows that the real motives of the British in Sind were political.

 

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Book Review: Rule by Fear: Right Theses on Authoritarianism in Pakistan by Ammar Ali Jan

 

Rule of Fear presents eight theses which explain the political, economic and social roots of authoritarianism in the country. This work focuses on the structural features which drive the increasing militarization of society. Jan believes that the paranoia of the masses has created a permanent state of emergency in Pakistan that is used to deploy excessive violence against popular challenges to the status quo. The author calls for the construction of alternative ideas that can unite disparate movements struggling for justice and dignity. He tries to create a case for a more egalitarian and socially just future.

This book has been writing very carefully. Jan criticizes Ayub, Bhutto, Zia, Nawaz Sharif, Musharraf and Imran Khan. While criticizing PPP but he refrains from mention ‘Benazir Bhutto’ in the book. Instead, he says that ‘the PPP leadership’ once again compromised with the generals in power-sharing formula that kept the logic of the state intact (p. 111-112). Jan does not describe Baba Jan’s case and the persecution he faced at the hands of the PPP government. He does write about the details of Meher Abdul Sattar’s (from Okara) case but he does not provide details of Baba Jan’s struggle. Jan just limits him to one line in the book.

Overall the book provides brief insight to the recent political and social history of Pakistan. I believe the primary purpose of the book is to propagate a particular view point and attract the masses towards a united left-leaning political struggle.

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Book Review: Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer by Patrick French

 

Francis Younghusband was one of the imperialists and adventures who spent a lot of time in united India. In 1903 he invaded Tibet through a brutal full-scale military invasion. Later in life he became a mystic thinker. Younghusband played a very important role in the ‘Great Game’, an intense political struggle between British India and Tsarist Russia. Despite being a classic Edwardian, in the post-World War era he led the way in religious, philosophical and sexual free-thinking. In this book Patrick French unearths Francis Younghusband’s own letters, papers and original documents. French weaves fine travel writing into historical biography, celebrating the imperial adventure.

I have covered some of the interesting points in this book. Younghusband was born in Murree, which is now part of Pakistan. His father was a Major-General in the Royal Artillery. When Younghusband was a Second Lieutenant, he had five servants in India. Robert Shaw was a relative of Francis Younghusband. Francis presented himself as a flawless hero (p. 74). When Grombchevesky and Younghusband met in late nineteenth century, they communicated in French. Younghusband wanted to tame the ruler of Hunza by invading Hunza, which he did in 1891. The Russians had already gained permission to station a council at Kashgar in 1882.

Younghusband moved to Giligt for his exams. He also mentions about the bisexuality of the Mehtar of Chitral. Younghusband believed that the races of Africa and Asia were inferior. He met Curzon, Gandhi and many other people. In 1906 he became the British Resident in Kashmir. Younghusband befriends Bertrand Russell. Russel praises Younghusband. According to Russell the intellectual life at Harvard was very poor. Russell was also expelled from Cambridge. According to the author of this book ‘Russell allowed his crusading ambition to trample on a personal relationship’ (p. 306).

Grombchevesky wrote a letter to Younghusband saying that he was dying and wanted Younghusband to publish his book Kashgar. Younghusband did not. The reasons remain unknown. Younghusband’s views changed at a later stage in his life. Younghusband got honorary doctorate degrees from Edinburgh, Bristol and Cambridge universities.

Dogs and Indian were barred from walking in the Mall at Shimla till 1918. During Lord Minto’s time in India Brown trout eggs were brought to Kahsmir. This book also covers the details of the invasion of Tibet. Curzon wanted the invasion of Tibet and Younghusband acted as Curzon’s henchmen.

I think this book is very interesting for people who want to understand about the professional and personal lives of the colonial officers who lived in India.

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Book Review: British Relations in Sindh (1799-1843): An Anatomy of Imperialism by Robert A. Huttenback (Introduction by Mathhew A. Cook)

 

This book is based on seven chapters. Chapter one covers the French threat, second chapters reflect on the controversy surrounding Cutch (Kutch), third describes the expansion of the British in the region. Chapter four focuses on the Afghan crises from 1834 to 1838. The next chapter gives details about Ellenborough, Napier and the Amirs of Sind. Chapter six is about the annexation of Sind and the repercussions of annexation. Chapter seven is the final chapter which states the conclusion of the book.

The East India company maintained factories in Sindh from 1635 to 1662 and from 1758 to 1775. In the 16th century the Balochs moved to Sindh from the West hills of Sind to become the governing class of the province. In the last years of the eighteenth century the British were well aware of the extension of the French hegemony across Europe. The British became alarmed. As a defense the British wanted to take control of Sindh as it was a logical invasion route (p. 1). Cutch became a British dependency after the treaties of 1816 and 1819. British activity in Sind after the treaty of 1834 was directed toward attainment of three objectives: the conducting of a full survey of the Indus, the encouragement of increased commerce on the river, and the establishment of a residency in Sind. These goals were all achieved within the next four years with the indirect aid of Ranjit Sind (p. 29).

Ranjit Singh could only expand in the direction of Sind, and his efficient army commanded by French officers remained an implicit threat to British influence in the area (p. 31). In 1818 he captured Multan and in 1823. In 1835 Ranjit Singh moved against the Mazari tribe of Rojhan (headed by their chief Behram Khan).

Huttenback states that British contacts with Sind were initially limited to trading establishments and then to treaties which had as their role purpose the protection of India from invasion first by France and later by Russia through the Indus valley. When these fears waned British interest in Sindh faded. By 1830 British interest in Sindh increased. They wanted commerce. As per the author the British did not want trade with Sind, in fact they wanted trade with the interior of Asia where the Russian was already present. Sind was assumed to be a buffer against Russia and a major line of communication.

The treaties of 1832, 1834, and 1838-1839 changed the amirs from the rulers of an independent nation to princes of a client state (p. 110). The attitude of the British officers varied from individual to individual, but it was evident to some degree in virtually every officer who acted on behalf of the company on the subcontinent.

Huttenback’s study provides an insight to the complexities of nineteenth-century British imperialism when the British empire was still expanding.

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Book Review: Remoteness and Modernity Transformation and Continuity in Northern Pakistan by Shafqat Hussain

 

Hussain’s work is an anthropological inquiry into the idea of remote areas. He examines the diverse ways in which the people of Hunza have been viewed by outsiders over the past century. He also writes about how the local people used their remote status strategically, ensuring their own interest were served as they engaged with the outside world.

There are a number of errors in the book. The author states that Nazeem Khan was appointed as the ruler of Hunza state when he was seven years old. Here the author is mistaken because Nazeem was in his 20s when he became the ruler of Hunza with the help/support of Hamayun Baig. At another point Hussain says that Mir Silim Khan settled the area of Gojal and gave the land to Wakhi peasants and Kirghiz nomads (p. 64). Hussain’s source seems to have misinformed him as Wakhis were already living in Gojal, even before Hussain’s estimated time period. On page 70, the author mentions that the Wazirs of Hunza criticized the Mirs of Hunza for excessive taxation. Hussain does not mention the time period and does not mention the basis for his claim. Even if there was any criticsm he does not mention the nature of the criticism is not mentioned.

Further in the book, the author states that after the British invasion of Hunza in 1891, selection of the local ruler was taken out of the hands of the local clan leaders (p. 77). In fact, Humayun Baig played an important role in the appointment of Nazeem Khan, after negotiating with the British. Later Muhammad Jamal Khan who became the ruler in 1945 became the ruler of Hunza with the help of Inayatullah Baig, who was the Wazir of Hunza. There are still people in Hunza  who are alive and clearly remember the day when in 1945 Jamal Khan’s father Mir Ghazan Khan II was allegedly murdered in Gulmit village of Hunza. Many oral history accounts suggest that Wazir Inayat had instigated the murder. Hussain’s knowledge of the local history seems to be limited.

In 1905, the Mir of Hunza asked for compensation for withdrawing from Raskam, and the resident in Kashmir, on the recommendation of the political agent at Gilgit, recommended a compensation amount of 1,000 rupees from the government of India. Hussain says that Nazeem Khan’s tactics were on some ways equally influential in dictating the course of frontier politics in the region (p.71). In 1935, when Nazeem was negotiating a subsidy for the loss of grazing rights in Raskam, according to the political agent the Mir wanted the title of His Highness. Moreover, the author stresses that in 1935 Nazeem Khan did not allow the Wazir’s son to visit Srinagar. In October 1934 Ghazan Khan II (eldest son of Mir Nazeem) for Imam Yar Baig’s (younger brother of the incumbent Wazir Shukurullah Baig) murder. The author remains unaware that the ruler Nazeem had conflict with the Wazir’s family, so why would he send the Wazir’s son to Srinagar for education?

Hussain avoids using real names. He relies on pseudo names throughout this book. He describes and quotes Ghazi Muhammad (real name Ghulam Muhammad) of Passu, Kamran Ali (Farman Ali of Shimshal), Munawar (Muzaffaruddin of Shimshal), Master Daud Ali (Daulat Amin) and Hamid Shah (Hasil Shah). Hussain quotes Kamran Ali. Kamran Ali says that ‘up until recently the Wakhis were not socially mobile, but recently they have left behind the Buroshoski Ismailis of central Hunza. Wakhis are now in senior level government positions, in the Ismaili councils, and the Buroshos feel jealous’ (p. 116).

In the book, Hussain also overlooks the reality about Aga Khan Foundation when he states that ‘while the Pakistani state tries to integrate and assimilate Hunza into mainstream Pakistani society, the AKF and its institutions make Hunza part of a global Ismaili community.’ He avoids commenting on the important role of  Aga Khan Development Network in creating linkages between the people and the government through its different agencies.

Further in the book, the author discusses the life in Pamir, Shimshal Nature Trust, Khunjerav National Park and Hideki Yamauchi (Japanese photojournalist). Hussain says that Shimshalis represent themselves as a ‘society that is a perfect and unique hybrid of modernity and tradition’ (p. 205). Hussain mentions that Muzaffar (who served at a senior position in the AKRSP management) was ‘also conscious of the fluid nature of identity such that it can be deployed strategically depending on the circumstances (p. 204). According Hussain, the state is an important source of resources and development assistance that Shimshalis tap into when opportunities arise (p. 207).

According to the author ‘Hunza as the ideal rural society was not constructed by romantics; they were often scientists who used romantic language and discourse to critique industrial agriculture and, indeed, the wider capitalist ethos that had become, in their view, the defining characteristic of Western society’ (p. 107).

This book in an attempt to present a new perspective regarding various facets of Hunza. The author could have done much better if a detailed anthropological study was carried out. At some point, it seemed to me that the author was writing just for the sake of writing. This does not mean that one should not read this book!

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Book Review: Married to a Bedouin By Marguerite van Geldermalsen

 

This story is about a New Zealand-born nurse who marries Mohammad Abdallah, a Bedouin souvenir-seller from Petra in Jordan. In 1978 Marguerite and her friend travel to the Middle East where they meet Mohammad. She marries Mohammad and starts living with him in an old cave on a hill side. She becomes a nurse for the locals, learns Arabic, converts to Islam and gives birth to three children.

The author believes that she married a ‘wonderful man, who started his day by praying that God would be pleased with him, and that his parents would be pleased with him, and then went off to his work with a flick of his mendeel and a joyful step, while I did what I felt like without a care in the world’ (p.33).

Marguerite admits that her marriage was much larger than just marrying an individual. Describing her own wedding the she mentions her brother in-laws who work for road companies.  She also mentions a Chinese company building a road along Wadi Araba from the bottom of the Dead Sea, where a potash industry was being established, to the port of Aqaba’ (p.56). Mohammad and his wife also visit New Zealand. Marguerite’s parents also visit Petra.

As I was reading the book I kept thinking about the whereabouts of the couple until I discovered that unfortunately Mohammad passed away in February 2002. This is a very interesting read about a lady who shares her own life experiences. I really enjoyed reading this book!

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Book Review: Notes from Underground By Fyodor Dostoyevsky

 

First published in 1964, this novel is considered as one of Dostoyevsky’s most famous novels. Notes from Underground narrates the story of an unmade narrator who had gone underground as a protest against social utopia. This self-opposing account examines the moral and intellectual fluctuations of the narrator and man’s inherent illogical nature.

Some of the dialogues in the novel are as follows:

·     .- ‘I swear, gentlemen, that to be too conscious is an illness- a real thorough-going illness’ (p. 10).

·      - Man is so ungrateful that you could not find another like him in all creation (p. 29).

·       -Reason satisfies only the rational side of man’s nature, while will is a manifestation of the whole life (p.32).

·       -Narrating about his office environment he mentions about the officials in his office who ‘talked about excise duty; about business in the senate, about salaries, about promotions, about His Excellency, and the best means of pleasing him, and so on’ (p. 64).

This novel has a very different writing style and plot. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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Book Review: An Appeal to the Toiling, Oppressed and Exhausted Peoples of Europe By Leon Trotsky

 

Speeches of Leon Trotsky are compiled in this book.  Some the themes which are covered include critique of capitalism, the need for revolution, his opposition to Stalin, and the political developments of his time. Trotsky wants the working class to recover itself and fight for peace. Criticizing the propertied classes, he says that for them the monarchy is the most reliable ally in their struggle against the revolutionary offensive of the proletariat. The Soviet leader gave three percepts. One, trust not the bourgeoisie. Two, control our own leaders and third, have confidence in our own revolutionary strength (p.24).

The author condemns secret diplomacy during negotiations. In a speech delivered in Moscow on April 14 1918, Trotsky says that ‘All those phrases about ‘democarcy’, ‘the fate of small nationalities’, ‘justice’, God’s commands’ – all these are but words, phrases used for the purpose of cheating the common people; in reality the powers are only looking out for unprotected booty in order to pocket it. This I say is the essence of imperialist policy’ (p.60).

Trotsky mentions that the genuine bourgeois thinks that nature itself has destined him to dominate. He warns that if the revolution did not spread to other countries, then it would be crushed by European capitalism (p.70). He further stresses on the intellectual development of women. Criticizing the anarchist communists Trotsky states that there is a need for state apparatus when a country as big as Russia plans to organize its economic system whereas the anarchist believed that the working class did not need state power as it was a bourgeoisie machine (p.82).

Trotsky praises Lenin’s personality and his efforts for the cause. According to him Lenin is the ‘fusion of a courageous, unwavering mind and a steeled and inflexible will’ (p. 100). He also condemns the assassination attempt on his life.  For Marx, he says that he was ‘the greatest of all fighters and thinkers who anticipated and pointed out the paths to a new history (p.97).

The author heavily criticizes the bureaucracy as he considers is an ‘embodiment of monstrous inequality. The revolution destroyed the nobility. The bureaucracy creates a new gentry. The revolution destroyed titles and decorations. The new aristocracy produces marshals and generals. The new aristocracy absorbs an enormous part of the national income. Its position before the people is deceitful and false. Its leaders are forced to hide the reality, to deceive the masses, to cloak themselves, calling black white. The whole policy of the new aristocracy is a frame-up. The new constitution is nothing but a frame-up’ (p125).

Trotsky believes that socialism is only possible when independent activity of the masses and the flourishing of the human personality takes place. Furthermore, he strongly believes in a communist future and wants the future generations to cleanse life of all evil, oppression and violence.

 

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Book Review: Civil Society by Michael Edwards

 

In this book the idea of civil society is presented by Michael Edwards. Edwards provides the theoretical and practical importance of civil society. He presents it as a basis for action. Civil society means different things to different people, plays different roles at different times and constitutes both problem and solution. Much deeper action is required in politics, economics and social life if civil society is to be effective vehicle for change.

The principal ingredient in volunteering is enthusiasm not necessarily an activism driven by a particular social vision. Voluntary associations are arenas for personal ambition and power as well as for sacrifice and service (p.44). The author says that avoiding debate is never the sign of a robust civic culture (p. 68).

Associational life that ignores power structures or substitutes for state responsibilities is unlikely to contribute very much. An inclusive and well-articulated associational ecosystem can be the driving force of the good society, but the achievements of the good society are what make possible the independence and level playing field that underpin a democratic associational life (p. 91).

The author says that increase in participation is welcome, since we learn to be citizens not through books or training but through experience and action (p. 102). The author states that in the West voluntary associations are less vulnerable to the whims of aid agencies as their sources of funding diverse (p. 104). Edwards says that civil society helps us to interpret and change the world. It is what we as active citizens make it. Civil society is the force for positive social change.

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Book Review: Friedrich Nietzsche: A Biography by Curtis Cate

 

Friedrich Nietzsche was the son of a Lutheran clergyman with a modest bourgeois background. He disliked Middle-class conformity and favored ‘aristocratic radicalism’. His aphorisms and statements are quite puzzling. They can be better understood within the context of his agitated life. In this biography Cate provides the reader with an interesting account of Nietzsche’s life. It makes it easier for the reader to understand his viewpoints. This includes experiences from his early life, relationships with his family members, time spent at boarding school, education, university teaching, friendships, travels and books.

Nietzsche was fascinated by Arthur Schopenhauer. He did not read Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, nor read Karl Marx’s works, other than Communist Manifesto. Nietzsche says that the German language gives him no pleasure. What Nietzsche most disliked and despised in any human being- a smug hypocrite. Nietzsche says that ‘I live as though the centuries were nothing, and I pursue my thoughts without thinking of newspapers or the date’ (p. 301). He also condemned romantic affectivity, excessive emotionalism and spiritual hysteria (p. 306).

Nietzsche met a Russian lady named Lou Salome, whom he wanted to marry for two years. Things were not smooth between them. Nietzsche’s sister played a big role in furthering their divide. Nietzsche’s sister Elisabeth discovered that Lou had been showing around a photograph in which Lou herself was seated in a little cart by her two harnessed ‘workhorses’. One of the work horses was Nietzsche and the other one was Paul Ree. Elisabeth got really upset.

Cate quotes Ida Overbeck, who writes about Nietzsche in the following words: ‘He knew how to listen and take in, but he never revealed himself completely or clearly. To hold himself back in concealment was for him a necessity; it was not truly a distrust towards others, rather it was a distrust towards himself and the response he encountered’ (p. 331). Nietzsche himself once wrote that ‘I am only too happy to leave my plans in concealment.’ Nietzsche believed that the value of any civilization or culture depends on the number of geniuses and masterpieces it can produce. He also regarded every kind of involuntarily accepted work as a form of slavery. He disliked businessmen and industrial magnates because of their ‘swaggering self-importance’ and ‘loud-mouthed vulgarity’ (p. 361).

Nietzsche ‘conceived his mission as a thinker to be that of the herald of a new ‘dawn’ in philosophical thinking, the prophet of a new, more honest, less visionary morality, purged and purified of a vast accretion of moral, political, social and metaphysical prejudices and misconceptions which had reduced the vast majority of his contemporaries to a collective condition of sheep-like stupidity’ (p. 400). In Zarathustra’s tenth discourse he writes: ‘If you cannot be the saints of knowledge, at least be its warriors’. On page 409 the author quotes Nietzsche, who says that ‘Man should be educated for warfare, and woman for the relaxation of the warrior: everything else is folly’.

Nietzsche’s work had a lot of symbolism. He used to carry a notebook when he would go for walks. He believes that most original thoughts occurred at night. He rejects moral system because according to him this system rejects the vital need for order of rank, on which all healthy cultures of the past were based. He believes that ‘From Woman comes every mischief in the world’ (p. 532). He also considers Christianity a stupid and anti-intellectual religion.

Nietzsche lost control over his senses. He was taken to Jena. His mother looked after him. When she passed away his sister Elisabeth took the charge. Meta Von Salis agreed to buy a house where Nietzsche was to live for the rest of his life. Throughout his life Nietzsche suffered because of weak eyesight, violent headaches and bouts of nausea. He died on the 25^th of August after a heart attack.

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