Sex and the Family in Colonial India

Durba Ghosh's 'Sex and the Family in Colonial India' investigates how British colonialism transformed social norms around sexuality, marriage, and family structures in India.

Drawing on court records, legal cases, and social commentary, Ghosh shows how colonial law and Christian missionary activities intersected with indigenous practices to produce new anxieties about family and morality.

The book highlights contested terrains of intimacy, honor, and regulation as central to colonial governance.

Ghosh argues that colonial interventions produced modern discourses of sexuality that shaped postcolonial gender politics.

The work is influential in the fields of gender history and South Asian studies for its deep archival engagement and theoretical insights.