Books published by C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd

Forming one-sixth of the People's Republic of China (PRC), Xinjiang stands at the crossroads between China, India, the Mediterranean, and Russia and has, since the Bronze Age, played a pivotal role in the social, cultural, and political development of Asia and the world. This title presents the history of Xinjiang.

A revealing biography of Garibaldi's time in Latin America, and how it shaped his view of politics, liberty and the struggle against oppression.

The standard image of the Raj is of an aloof, pampered and prejudiced British elite lording it over an oppressed and hostile Indian subject population. Like most caricatures, this obscures as much truth as it reveals. The British had not always been so aloof. The earlier, more cosmopolitan period of East India Company rule saw abundant 'interracial' sex and occasional marriage, alongside greater cultural openness and exchange. The result was a large and growing 'mixed-race' community, known by the early twentieth century as Anglo-Indians. Notwithstanding its faults, Empire could never have been maintained without the active, sometimes enthusiastic, support of many colonial subjects. These included Indian elites, professionals, civil servants, businesspeople and minority groups of all kinds, who flourished under the patronage of the imperial state, and could be used in a 'divide and rule' strategy to prolong colonial rule. Independence was profoundly unsettling to those destined to become minorities in the new nation, and the Anglo-Indians were no exception. This refreshing account looks at the dramatic end of British rule in India through Anglo-Indian eyes, a perspective that is neither colonial apologia nor nationalist polemic. Its history resonates strikingly with the complex identity debates of the twenty-first century.

In early 1900, the paths of three British writers¿Rudyard Kipling, Mary Kingsley and Arthur Conan Doyle¿crossed in South Africa, during what¿s become known as Britain¿s last imperial war. Each of the three had pressing personal reasons to leave England behind, but they were also motivated by notions of duty, service, patriotism and, in Kipling''s case, jingoism.Sarah LeFanu compellingly opens an unexplored chapter of these writers¿ lives, at a turning point for Britain and its imperial ambitions. Was the South African War, as Kipling claimed, a dress rehearsal for the Armageddon of World War One? Or did it instead foreshadow the anti-colonial guerrilla wars of the later twentieth century?Weaving a rich and varied narrative, LeFanu charts the writers¿ paths in the theatre of war, and explores how this crucial period shaped their cultural legacies, their shifting reputations, and their influence on colonial policy.

Has autocracy won out in the Middle East? Two Arab dissidents explain how tyrants rule, and explore the region's horizons of change.

An Anglo-American born to Sufi converts, Medina Tenour Whiteman recounts her experiences at the margins of whiteness and Islam.

Looks at transatlantic connections between Muslim communities in the US and the UK

The sacred and the revered, the divine and the musealised, relics have long been integral to Islamic practice. Wahhabisation has cast a modernist specter over celebrated traditions such as the visiting of shrines and pilgrimages to the birthplaces of beloved religious figures, yet these rituals continue to thrive. In this issue of Critical Muslim, we look at footprints ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad, to Adam and to Jesus. We pay our respects to Sufi saints, who may or may not be Islamicized versions of the Buddha, and we ask whether tradition is nothing more than a relic of times gone by. About Critical Muslim: A quarterly publication of ideas and issues showcasing groundbreaking thinking on Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in a rapidly changing, interconnected world. Each edition centers on a discrete theme, and contributions include reportage, academic analysis, cultural commentary, photography, poetry, and book reviews.

When Stephen Ellis died in July 2015, African Studies lost one of its most prolific, provocative and celebrated scholars. Given the scale and uniqueness of his contribution, it is perhaps surprising that a collection of his writings did not appear during his lifetime. It is now possible to bring such a volume to the public. With an introduction by Tim Kelsall and an afterword by Jean-Francois Bayart, this collection aims to provide scholars and students with an introduction to the main themes in Ellis' work. These revolved around the roles of religion, criminality and violence in African society and politics -- preoccupations that also informed his interpretation of African rebellions and resistance movements. The volume spans more than three decades of scholarship; case studies from six countries; highly-cited and lesser-known articles; and a sampling of works intended for public engagement as well as an academic audience. It will serve as a reader for African Politics and History, and as an invitation to students to delve deeper into Stephen Ellis' oeuvre.

An Oxford historian reflects on his personal experience of the Ethiopia-Eritrea War

An enlightening reassessment of Britain's administration of colonial South India based on Sidney Wadsworth's unpublished memoir, revealing how absorbing he found his postings.

As Russia rattles its sabres in the Baltic, Neil Taylor reconsiders the history of Estonia and its struggle to achieve statehood.

As the nature of intelligence gathering in the modern world is thrown into tumult, the value of traditional 'spying' is being questioned

An indispensable insider account of transition from guerrilla war to governance in Ethiopia.

The first book-length analysis of an often secretive but mutually beneficial military and strategic partnership.

This book reveals how the illegal ivory trade is tied to corruption, conflicts, colonialism and local livelihoods.

A rich and refreshing exploration of Germany, Germans and Germanness.

Critical Muslim is a quarterly magazine of ideas and issues, presenting Muslim perspectives on the great debates of our times.

Basing his argument on the criteria for a "just war," Brauman criticizes the Western obsession with imposing democratic values by force. In this sober and convincing book, he thoroughly dismantles the notion of the justness of "humanitarian wars."

Though largely invisible in histories of the First World War, over 550,000 men in the ranks of the Indian army were non-combatants. From the porters, stevedores and construction workers in the Coolie Corps to those who maintained supply lines and removed the wounded from the battlefield, Radhika Singha recovers the story of this unacknowledged service. The labour regimes built on the backs of these ‿coolies‿ sustained the military infrastructure of empire; their deployment in interregional arenas bent to the demands of global war. Viewed as racially subordinate and subject to 'non-martial' caste designations, they fought back against their status, using the warring powers‿ need for manpower as leverage to challenge traditional service hierarchies and wage differentials. 'The Coolie's Great War' views that global conflict through the lens of Indian labour, constructing a distinct geography of the war--from tribal settlements and colonial jails, beyond India's frontiers, to the battlefronts of France and Mesopotamia.