The Skull of Alum Bheg

The Life and Death of a Rebel of 1857

Kim A. Wagner

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English

C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
30 November 2017

History; Asian history; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Colonialism & imperialism

In 1963, a human skull was discovered in a pub in south-east England. The handwritten note found inside revealed it to be that of Alum Bheg, an Indian soldier in British service who had been blown from a cannon for his role in the 1857 Uprising, his head brought back as a grisly war-trophy by an Irish officer present at his execution. The skull is a troublesome relic of both anti-colonial violence and the brutality and spectacle of British retribution.

Kim Wagner presents an intimate and vivid account of life and death in British India in the throes of the largest rebellion of the nineteenth century. Examining the Victorians' macabre fetish for collecting and exhibiting body parts, the book also offers a critical assessment of British imperialism that speaks to contemporary debates about the legacies of Empire and the myth of the `Mutiny'.

By: Kim A. Wagner
Imprint: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781849048705
ISBN 10: 1849048703
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 30 November 2017
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Kim A. Wagner is Senior Lecturer in British Imperial History, Queen Mary, University of London. He has written three previous books on Thuggees and on the 1857 Uprising.

Reviews for The Skull of Alum Bheg: The Life and Death of a Rebel of 1857

'Astonishing . . . Wagner radically reframes popular assumptions about how the British Empire was won and run . . . engrossing.' 'Superb popular history . . . meticulous forensic research into the events that led to the 1857 uprising.' '[Wagner] has created a historical detective story all the more intriguing because of the archival absence of Bheg himself . . . a fascinating study of life and death in British India.' 'This is a remarkable work of historical detection . . . a meticulously researched and well-documented account of the events leading up to Bheg's execution. . . Wagner's book is a welcome addition to our understanding of the modus operandi of imperialism.'