An improbable reconstruction

Abstract

This article concerns the city of Madurai in the middle of the nineteenth century, at a time of urban development undertaken by the head of the colonial administration in that district. The difficulties involved in this exceptional operation, at a time when colonial administration was not very concentrated with urban development, reflect how there was not much colonial control in urban areas. The article also looks at how this urban development affected the organisation and appearance of the city, how city inhabitants made use of the space available to them and their rights to property. It also shows how the relationships established between inhabitants and local colonial authorities were very different from those developed in pre-colonial times.