Plassey's Legacy: Young Londoners Explore the Hidden Story of the East India Company

by Ruhana Ali, Imran Jamal, Lothifa Chowdhury

178 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the first books I catalogued at my new job and I had to read it! This is the result of a project with young Bengalis living in the East End and through a series of workshops and studying explored the history of the East India Company and how it relates to life in London today. Each chapter is written by a different author and covers a different area of history, their are walks through London looking at the legacy of the company through it's buildings and the docks, the East India Companies army, their treatment of China and India, the companies demise and the lasting impact for people of Bengali descent living in London today.

I've always had a passing interest in the East India Company, when people talk about the power of multi-nationals today I always think about the East India company, how it was basically a colonising force in it's own right. With a large army! I think there's a great scifi story that could be written based on them! But I digress...

The chapters were interesting and informative. It was nice to see the personal reflection of what can be a fairly dry history topic. Some of the chapters could have done with a clearer structure but overall I think it was an interesting popular history and a great project.