Intra-Asian Competition and Collaboration against the West: The N.Y.K. Bombay Line, Tata & Sons, and Indian Cotton at the End of the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

The traditional and orthodox interpretation of the British Raj (colonial rule in India) characterizes it in terms of the economic exploitation of India. However, recent historical studies have focused on the revival or development of the Indian cotton industry at the turn of the twentieth century. This article pays special attention to the rapid development of the Indian cotton-spinning industry as an export industry for the Chinese market and its implications for intra-Asian competition.