Fragments of Empire

"In Fragments of Empire indenture becomes a lens through which empire, in all its complexity and vastness, comes into view. This is an empire that one does not see usually, an empire better described as a single constellation that arises in the imbrication of different spaces, levels, practices, and ideas. I cannot say enough about the importance of this idea, for it forces us to rethink current notions of colonialism and imperialism.""—Gyan Prakash, Princeton University

"A landmark study. The book gives a completely new reading of the cultural, racial, and economic dynamics of indentured Indian labour in the British Caribbean. The book is nothing less than a wake-up call to postcolonial theorists."—EHR

"Fragments offers a new and refreshing perspective, taking us beyond chronology to a thorough examination of some of the macroconsiderations which tied together an early attempt at globalization. . . . Any attempt to understand this present must be based on that past. Fragments of Empire successfully unravels much of that complicated past, making sense of a tangled maze of imperialistic devices. In this sense it is a very useful continuation of our understanding of worldwide diasporas."—International Review of Social History