The British Takeover of Assam follows the huge British expansion into the Indian territory of Assam during the nineteenth century and the impact of colonial policymaking upon the population of both the hill areas and the Brahmaputra plain. British industrial activity in the region, based on the highly lucrative tea trade and the identification of rich mineral resources, inexorably moved capital, labour, enterprise, trade and transportation into the hands of outsiders and made a dramatic change to Assam’s demographic profile.

Caroline Keen paints a vivid picture of the lives of both Indians and Europeans in the remote northeast of the subcontinent, drawing on contemporary journals and other narratives.

'If you are interested in an academic survey of Assam in the 19th century, you might find this book somewhat useful.' * The Critic, February 2025 *

Caroline Keen holds a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She has written extensively on colonial India and has published three books: A Judge in Madras (2020), An Imperial Crisis in British India (2015) and Princely India and the British (2012).