Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
In his book Gods, Guns and Missionaries, Manu S. Pillai explores four centuries of fascinating encounters between European missionaries and Hindu traditions of a colonised India. In a tale of conflict and understanding, and of bewilderment and innovation, featuring a cast of characters from maharajahs to evangelicals, Pillai reveals how these interactions shaped cultural and religious identities, both in Britain and in the Indian subcontinent.
Manu S. Pillai is an Indian historian and the author of five books, most recently Gods, Guns & Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity. A newspaper columnist and an award winning writer, Manu holds a PhD in history from King's College London.
Mukulika Banerjee is Professor of Social Anthropology at LSE. She is the author of Cultivating Democracy, Why India Votes?, Muslim Portraits (ed.), The Sari (with Daniel Miller) and The Pathan Unarmed (2001). She Lives in London and co-hosts the newly launched podcast ‘The India Briefing’.
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#missionaries #empire #mercenaries #jlflondon
In his book Gods, Guns and Missionaries, Manu S. Pillai explores four centuries of fascinating encounters between European missionaries and Hindu traditions of a colonised India. In a tale of conflict and understanding, and of bewilderment and innovation, featuring a cast of characters from maharajahs to evangelicals, Pillai reveals how these interactions shaped cultural and religious identities, both in Britain and in the Indian subcontinent.
Manu S. Pillai is an Indian historian and the author of five books, most recently Gods, Guns & Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity. A newspaper columnist and an award winning writer, Manu holds a PhD in history from King's College London.
Mukulika Banerjee is Professor of Social Anthropology at LSE. She is the author of Cultivating Democracy, Why India Votes?, Muslim Portraits (ed.), The Sari (with Daniel Miller) and The Pathan Unarmed (2001). She Lives in London and co-hosts the newly launched podcast ‘The India Briefing’.
Follow us on –
Website - jlflitfest.org
Facebook - facebook.com/JLFInternational
YouTube - youtube.com/c/jlflitfest
Instagram - instagram.com/jlfinternational
Twitter - twitter.com/JLFLitfest
#missionaries #empire #mercenaries #jlflondon
