Through an analysis of the writings of three 20th-century Indian women, this book explores how the memoirs, fictions and histories written by women can be read as counter-narratives of colonial modernity.

"...a very readable and thought-provoking reflection on identity, nation, and modernity that deserves a wide audience."--The Historian "In terms of her theoretical framework, Burton has tapped into a rich seam, producing a work that should be of interest to several different constituencies of readers and scholars."--Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History "Dwelling in the Archive brilliantly showcases late colonial Indian women's writing not merely as elite, private narrative but as the very material form in which a gendered social memory surfaces through the recollection of homes inhabited in the past. It will productively unsettle the distinctions customarily made between public and private histories and between historical and literary study."--Rosemary Marangoly George, author of The Politics of Home: Postcolonial Relocations and Twentieth Century Fiction "[A] valuable addition to our own archives of representation of the social. It forces us to rethink settled conventions of knowledge production, and of history (or any other discipline) and confronts us with representation (political) and re-presentation (epistemological and aesthetic) as moments of struggle."--American Historical Review "A bold innovator who extends the concept of archive to include the physical space of houses and memories of homes, Burton documents women's agency in the creation of the Indian nation and articulates their divergent narratives that question dominant constructions of nationhood."-- Barbara N. Ramusack, University of Cincinnati "Antoinette Burton's subtle exploration of the multiple senses of 'dwelling,' as home or national abode, and as a meditation upon the objects of history and memory makes for fascinating and insightful reading."-- Kamala Visweswaran, University of Texas at Austin "[A] valuable addition to our own archives of representation of the social. It forces us to rethink settled conventions of knowledge production, and of history (or any other discipline) and confronts us with representation (political) and re-presentation (epistemological and aesthetic) as moments of struggle."--American Historical Review "...a very readable and thought-provoking reflection on identity, nation, and modernity that deserves a wide audience."--The Historian "In terms of her theoretical framework, Burton has tapped into a rich seam, producing a work that should be of interest to several different constituencies of readers and scholars."--Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History "Dwelling in the Archive brilliantly showcases late colonial Indian women's writing not merely as elite, private narrative but as the very material form in which a gendered social memory surfaces through the recollection of homes inhabited in the past. It will productively unsettle the distinctions customarily made between public and private histories and between historical and literary study."--Rosemary Marangoly George, author of The Politics of Home: Postcolonial Relocations and Twentieth Century Fiction "A bold innovator who extends the concept of archive to include the physical space of houses and memories of homes, Burton documents women's agency in the creation of the Indian nation and articulates their divergent narratives that question dominant constructions of nationhood."-- Barbara N. Ramusack, University of Cincinnati "A serious social history written with a difference . Burton uses the historian's craft well to redraw the boundaries of modern Indian history." -- The Hindu "An ambitious and rewarding book. Antoinette Burton deftly combines a compelling analysis of broad questions important to all historians and feminist scholars with three tightly-focused, carefully-researched case studies."-- H-Net "Antoinette Burton's subtle exploration of the multiple senses of 'dwelling,' as home or national abode, and as a meditation upon the objects of history and memory makes for fascinating and insightful reading."-- Kamala Visweswaran, University of Texas at Austin