International experts present an illustrated collection of essays exploring the societal impact of colonial architecture and engineering on the colonized and the colonizers.

A carefully crafted selection of essays from international experts, this book explores the effect of colonial architecture and space on the societies involved - both the colonizer and the colonized. Focusing on British India and Ceylon, the essays explore the discursive tensions between the various different scales and dimensions of such 'empire-building' practices and constructions. Providing a thorough exploration of these tensions, Colonial Modernities challenges the traditional literature on the architecture and infrastructure of the former European empires, not least that of the British Indian 'Raj'.

'From vernacular to monumental architecture, numerous examples of legacies of colonial practices are found throughout South Asia and this book takes the first steps toward introducing their ideological underpinnings, theorizing and narrating them into a particular intellectual space.' - Cities "This book is an enjoyable read, and a solid scholarly contribution by some familiar names, to the modest field of postcolonial architectural studies. The essays highlight many of the complex issues involved in the field, and in an area where records are not always easily accessible, there is much detailed critique." - Martin Beattie, Landscape Research, Vol. 34, No. 4