A state in disguise of a merchant?" the english east India company as a strategic action field, ca. 1763-1834

This paper considers the East India Companys emergence as a territorial power from the 1760s until the revocation of most of its commercial functions in 1834. While this period has been a key episode for historians of the British Empire and of South Asia, social scientists have struggled with the Companys ambiguous nature. In this paper, I propose that a profitable way to grasp the Companys transformat ion is to consider it as a global strategic action field. This perspective clarifies two key processes in the Companys transition: the enlargement of its territorial possessions; and the increased exposure of its patrimonial network to intervention from British metropolitan politics. To further suggest the utility of this analytic perspective, I synthesize evidence from various sources, including data concerning the East India Court of Directors and the career histories of Company servants in two of its key administrative regions, Bengal and Madras, during this period of transition.