menu
{ "item_title" : "Agents of Inertia", "item_author" : [" Gaurav C. Garg "], "item_description" : "In the first half of the twentieth century, Asia's colonial trade, commerce, and enterprise pivoted on five cities- Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Calcutta, and Bombay. Today, among these, only Calcutta no longer plays a significant role in the Asian or global economy. Why? This book answers this question by investigating how Calcutta's British and Indian businesses have engaged with the city's infrastructural and economic challenges. It throws up a startling result: through the first seven decades of twentieth century, Calcutta's businesses, in contrast to their counterparts elsewhere, staunchly resisted several measures that intended to update and improve the city's infrastructure. It is this resistance, Agents of Inertia argues, that led to Calcutta's postcolonial urban crisis and contributed to capital- flight and economic decline. One of the first full-length monographs on Calcutta's postcolonial urban-economic decline, it shows how big businesses not only make but can also break a city's fortunes.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers4.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/00/975/560/1009755609_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "154.00", "online_price" : "154.00", "our_price" : "154.00", "club_price" : "154.00", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }
Agents of Inertia|Gaurav C. Garg

Agents of Inertia : Business, Urban Crisis, and Economic Decline in Twentieth-Century Calcutta

PRE-ORDER NOW:
local_shippingShip to Me
Preorder. This item will be available on November 30, 2026 .
FREE Shipping for Club Members help

Other Available Formats

Hardcover
154.00
Paperback
$55.00

show all formats

Overview

In the first half of the twentieth century, Asia's colonial trade, commerce, and enterprise pivoted on five cities- Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Calcutta, and Bombay. Today, among these, only Calcutta no longer plays a significant role in the Asian or global economy. Why? This book answers this question by investigating how Calcutta's British and Indian businesses have engaged with the city's infrastructural and economic challenges. It throws up a startling result: through the first seven decades of twentieth century, Calcutta's businesses, in contrast to their counterparts elsewhere, staunchly resisted several measures that intended to update and improve the city's infrastructure. It is this resistance, Agents of Inertia argues, that led to Calcutta's postcolonial urban crisis and contributed to capital- flight and economic decline. One of the first full-length monographs on Calcutta's postcolonial urban-economic decline, it shows how big businesses not only make but can also break a city's fortunes.

Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781009755603
  • ISBN-10: 1009755609
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press
  • Publish Date: November 2026
  • Page Count: 310

Related Categories

You May Also Like...

    1

BAM Customer Reviews