Engineers and Society in India: From circa 1850 to Present Times

This book offers a compelling exploration into the untold history and social dynamics of Indian engineers. Through a series of ten insightful essays, it brings together the perspectives of social scientists and historians from India, the United States, and France. Readers are taken on a journey from the colonial era to the modern day, delving into debates like the Howrah Bridge construction, the migration of Indian engineers to American universities post-Independence, the impact of reservation policies on IIT placements, and the burgeoning coaching culture in Kota. Accompanied by an in-depth introduction that surveys existing scholarship and traces the pivotal shifts in the engineering profession since the 1850s, this book is an essential read for those eager to understand the forces shaping India's engineering landscape.

About the Author

Vanessa Caru, Research Fellow, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), CEIAS (Centre for South Asian Studies) Vanessa Caru is a social historian and a Research Fellow at CESAH (CNRS-EHESS, Paris). She obtained her PhD in history, with a dissertation entitled "Working-class housing and the social question, Bombay (1850-1950)". She is currently researching the social history of the Indian personnel of the Public Works Department in the Bombay Presidency, from the 1860s to the 1960s.