Indian Boardgames, Colonial Avatars

How did an Indian game meant to teach the process of rebirth change into the children’s race-game, Snakes and Ladders? Why does the Bengali language use Dutch loan-words for the suits of cards? How do the rules of Chess change in India and Europe? The answers to these and other related questions can be obtained after examining in depth the relationship of colonialism to boardgames.

Focusing on Indian boardgames and their European versions, this book explores how the British Empire's appropriation of ancient games had a signal effect on identity and culture in the formerly colonized countries of the Global South.